Hitori ni Sasenai
by Lady Mac
Summary: Inu and Kagome learn the dangers of unprotected sex the hard way, and have to find a way to live with it. AngstRomance, IxK, some MxS. R: DSLV. Chapter 14 up! Working on 15 slowly
1. Positive?

Hitori ni Sasenai

by Lady Mac

[A/N: Here it goes! My first Inuyasha fanfic! Also the first one I'm writing without having the whole thing planned out first, whether by myself or some dead British bard. Also, I'm going to try to keep this story PG-13, a step down from my Macbeth fics - If I can help it, no lemons here. I may have to change the rating, though, if I decide to put these characters through some cruel and unusual tortures . . . eh, heh, heh . . .

A note on the title: I couldn't think of one, so I pulled up the lyrics for "Change the World" (the opening theme song for Inuyasha) and chose a phrase - this is in the third chorus and is translated as "I won't let you be alone." I figured it fit with the story . . . don't worry if you don't get it yet, everything will come full circle eventually.

Anyways, this is it! Read and review, please!]

Disclaimer: Not only do I not own Inuyasha, but I am broke and my boyfriend is broke and my parents wouldn't be too happy if you sued me, either. Thank you.

Chapter One

Positive?

Kagome sat and stared silently at the box on the bathroom sink. Her head was spinning, the thoughts and emotions whirling around so fast that she couldn't make any sense of it. It couldn't be true. It simply _couldn't_ be. . . .

[flashback]

Inuyasha was there to meet her when she came out of the well. "It took you long enough," he grumbled.

"I've told you a thousand times, I have to go to school!" Kagome said, exasperated. "Besides, don't you have anything better to do than sit here and wait for me?"

The _hanyou_ blushed slightly and frowned more. "Well, I . . . I can't exactly search for jewel shards without you, can I?"

Kagome rolled her eyes and noticed that they were alone. "Where's everyone else?"

"Hm?" Inuyasha looked around. "Oh yeah. They're back in the village. Miroku's upped the ante on Sango, and Kaede's got some new toy that's really keeping that little pest busy."

"You mean Shippou."

"Whatever." He fixed his gaze on her and his expression softened. "I ... it's glad - I mean I'm glad you're back."

She smiled gently at him. He was especially cute when he was actually being nice to her [squee!]. "So . . . uh . . . how has everything been here?"

"Pretty good. Boring. I still don't understand why these things are so important to you."

She sighed impatiently. "Inuyasha, I-"

But suddenly something warm and soft covered her mouth, and a lock of silver hair floated between her eyes and the boy's forehead. The kiss suddenly intensified as Inuyasha pulled her close to his body, and she lost the will to resist him.

Moments later they were on the ground next to the well and Inuyasha was on top of her, caressing her body with his hands, his mouth, his . . .

Kagome came suddenly to her senses and pushed him away, blushing furiously. "What are you doing, Inuyasha?!?"

He sat quickly back on his haunches and tried to hide the growing bulge between his legs. "I . . . uh . . . ."

"Well?" She brushed herself off and stared at him.

"I . . . I guess I just couldn't resist. Pheromones, you know." He gave her a shy, lopsided smile as they both stood up. "I just . . . you've been gone so long, it was starting to really bother me and I couldn't control myself . . . I needed to make sure you know how I feel about you."

Kagome felt her chest constricting, making it difficult to breathe. "How . . . how you feel?"

His golden eyes glowed suddenly as the sun began to fall behind the trees in the west. She stared into them for a long moment before Inuyasha spoke, softer this time. "Are you really that stupid?"

Kagome could only stare, watching as he slowly stepped closer, then pulled her into a tight embrace. "Can you guess yet?" he whispered. "Or do you give up?"

She couldn't answer. Her breath came only in short gasps, and her heart was fluttering as if it was about to jump out of her chest. He was hugging her! He was actually holding her in his arms!

He squeezed her tighter and brought his lips right up to her ear, and his cheek pressed warmly against hers. "I love you, Kagome."

Her heart gave one great _flop_ inside her and her lungs finally filled themselves again. Her arms moved as if in a dream to wrap across his back, and in one perfect, fluid motion his mouth found hers again.

[End flashback]

Kagome rubbed her eyes hard and stood up. Maybe the test was wrong somehow. And besides, there were still two left in the box. Why else would they give you that many?

She took a shaky breath, collected her things, and slipped quietly down the hall to her room, careful not to wake her sleeping family. Safe in her sanctuary, she packed the two remaining kits and flattened box in her backpack. She could test again when she went back to the Sengoku Jidai tomorrow.

Finally, exhausted and frightened, she crawled into bed and fell asleep.

Well, what do you think?? Sorry this chapter's so short, the second one is almost done and it's longer. Also, I promise there will be less flashbacks after I get through the exposition. Please review, it makes me want to write more! Also if you have any ideas for future events, tell me those, too, and I just might use them! Thanks for reading!


	2. Father

Hitori ni Sasenai

By Lady Mac

Chapter Two

Father

[Awright! This should be a good one - it's really angsty towards the end, so get the tissues ready! Warning: Very brief lemony content in one of the flashbacks, but it's necessary to the plot, I promise.]

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, though I wish I did. Rats.

[Flashback]

The couple reached the village shortly after dark, but Inuyasha excused himself right away, apologizing hastily, and hurried off to the forest nearby.

"What were you doing?" Kagome asked when he returned half an hour later.

"Taking care of myself," he answered simply, settling into the corner next to Kagome's futon.

"What? What do you mean?"

He looked around to make sure everyone else was asleep. "Once I get started," he said softly, "I have to finish, no matter how it's done. You wouldn't let me, so I had to take matters into my own . . . hands."

Her eyes widened. "You mean you were . . ."

"Jacking off, yes."

"Oh." She looked down at her hands in her lap, embarrassed.

He smiled at her. "Don't worry about it. I'm fine, I do it all the time. Nobody needs to know. Why don't you get to sleep, though?"

"Okay." She slid under the blanket and he kissed her forehead gently. "Good night," she said.

"Sleep well."

The group started traveling again the next morning, and the tension between Kagome and Inuyasha grew steadily. He obviously felt very repressed, and started excusing himself almost nightly. Occasionally Kagome and the others would hear a strange, muffled howl from the forest where Inuyasha had hidden himself. Miroku and Sango would exchange an understanding look, but the kitsune was confused.

"He'll tell you if he wants to, Shippou," Kagome explained several times.

Several weeks later, Kagome was bathing in a cold pool when she heard a rustling from the bushes behind her. "That had better not be you, Inuyasha!" she called out, not turning around.

"How did you guess?"

She whipped around. She hadn't expected him to actually reveal himself. "What are you doing?!?" she demanded. "And where's your shirt? What's going on?"

He started to turn pink. "Just . . . uh . . . satisfying some . . . uh . . . masculine needs."

Blood rushed to her face. "You . . . you were . . ."

"No, not yet," he said, stepping down to the edge of the pool. "Still got my pants on. See?"

She saw. "How . . . how long were you planning to keep them on?"

"Not long, actually. But I was going to leave before that happened." He looked at her, then down at himself. "Actually, um, I think I'm going to go right about now, if that's okay with you. I'll . . . meet you back by the rest of the group a little later."

"Wait," she said suddenly.

He turned and stared. She was halfway out of the water, and her wet body glistened in the midday sun. "I . . . I want to come with you."

His jaw dropped. "A - are you sure?" he stammered.

"Yes," she said slowly. She didn't know why, but she did. Maybe it was the way the sun reflected off the warm, lean muscles in his arms, chest, and abdomen. Maybe it was the thin sliver line of hair that ran south from his navel and disappeared under the waistband of his pants. Maybe it was the look of utter longing in his eyes. Maybe it was the utter longing in her heart, in her mind, in her whole body. "Yes. I . . . I need to." She took a deep breath, then pulled a towel around her and climbed out. Inuyasha watched her hungrily as she walked toward him. She kissed him once, and then he took her hand and pulled her into the nearest grove of trees.

[End flashback]

Kagome woke up late the next morning, dressed quickly and went downstairs. "Leaving again so soon?" asked her grandfather.

"Hai." She forced a smile.

"All right then. Have fun!"

"Don't make up too many strange excuses!" she called as she walked out the door and headed to the well.

She crawled out in the Sengoku Jidai and looked around. No one was there, but that made sense since she was back a day earlier than she had said she would be. She ducked into the woods and pulled one of the testers out of her backpack.

[Flashback]

It was only afterwards that Kagome realized what she had done, and managed to hold the _hanyou_ at bay by explaining to him the tremendous implications of their actions. But her cycle came and went, with not so much as a missed day.

This confused her. It was the right time, and there had been no protection. But somehow . . . somehow they had escaped. She mentioned it to Inuyasha.

"I think I know why," he said slowly. "When . . . when Kikyo was alive, we would sometimes talk about that, and she mentioned that since I'm a _hanyou_ - instead of full human or _youkai_ - I'm . . . well, infertile."

Kagome suddenly understood. "It's like mules."

"Nani?"

"Mules. They're half horse and half donkey. They have all the parts and stuff, but they can't . . . produce offspring."

"That makes sense." He looked up into her deep brown eyes. "And you know what that means, don't you?"

"That you're only fertile on the new moon?"

"Yes, and what else?"

She thought for a moment. Then it occurred to her. "I have my . . . bleeding on the new moon."

He grinned. "And when you put two and two together . . ."

Her eyes brightened and she smiled at him, and he laughed and hugged her. "You've finally got the dirty part down! I don't have to explain myself all the time anymore!"

[End flashback]

Inuyasha smelled Kagome before he saw her. He was sitting in his favorite tree in the middle of the village, perched on the highest branch. From there he could see everything for miles. He remembered how when he was younger he would sit there and pretend that he was a king and everything he saw was his kingdom, that he controlled everyone and everything he saw. He was staring off at the horizon when the familiar scent wafted its way up to his nose. But then, right after it, a slightly different smell. Like Kagome, but not quite.

He peered down through the foliage at the girl. She was alone, and he wondered what the other smell was. "Kagome!" he called.

She looked up and smiled at him. "I thought I might find you here! Come on down!"

As if he needed an invitation! Three quick jumps brought him to the ground, and he took her in his arms and hugged her warmly. "You're back early! You said you'd be gone for five days!"

"I know," she said. "But I finished what I needed to do, so I figured I'd come back right away."

He looked closely at her. Her eyes were slightly red around the edges, and from up close he could smell the faint odor of dried salt tears. "Kagome, have you been crying?"

"What?" She blinked quickly. "No, of course not!"

"Yes, you have. What's wrong, Kagome?"

She squeezed her eyes shut, and when she opened them a vivid change had come over her and her eyes were filled with tears. "It . . . it happened."

[Flashback]

The sun was beginning to set as Kagome and Inuyasha ran together into a thick grove of trees and shrubs. Inuyasha pulled off his _haori_ and threw it on the ground, then thrust himself onto Kagome, kissing her with more intensity than usual. It had been several months since their first encounter and they had realized that the new moon coincided with her bleeding, so it was impossible for them to conceive. They had had sex on every possible occasion in the interim, but it had been nearly a month now since the _hanyou_ had "gotten his mac on," as he liked to call it.

Inuyasha felt his climax approaching as darkness fell, and he knew Kagome was nearing hers, too. She moaned breathlessly as he forced into her harder and harder, again and again . . . and suddenly felt an all-too-familiar tingling sensation course through his body, and he knew instantly that they had made a horrible mistake.

He tried to hold back his crest, but he knew there was nothing he could do. Using every ounce of willpower in his body, he wrenched himself away from Kagome. But it was already too late - he had felt the hot liquid surge from deep within him, and he knew it was now deep inside her. A loud, strange cry escaped his human throat, a howl-like combination of utter pleasure and all-consuming terror.

"What is it?" Kagome gasped, still lying down.

He was shaking so hard he could hardly speak. "Ka . . . Kagome . . ."

She sat up with an effort, and she saw the starlight reflecting off his now raven-black hair. She paled visibly in the half light. "Oh no."

[End Flashback]

It was as if she had said "Osuwari," instead of simply "It happened." Inuyasha's knees suddenly gave out, and he found himself sitting on the ground, shaking and lightheaded. His mouth opened and closed for several seconds before he could make a noise. "A - are you sure?" he croaked. His throat was raw and dry.

She knelt softly beside him and gripped his _haori_ tightly with both fists, and then the tears began to fall. "I - I - I'm sure," she sobbed into his shoulder. "I - I - I did the test, a-a-and it came up p-p-positive."

Inuyasha's brain scrambled for something to hang on to, but the unfamiliar smell that came off of Kagome made his head spin. "What do you mean, test?" He took her forcefully by the shoulders and pulled her off him, his heart beating wildly. "You have some sort of test?"

She nodded and the tears streamed down her face. "T-there's these things that - that you use a-and they tell you if you're p-p-pregnant."

He felt physically sick and fought back the rising lump in his throat. "C-could it be wrong?"

Kagome shook her head. "I-I tried it twice, _and_ I missed my p-p-period."

He realized then what the smell was. It was because of the child -- _it_ made Kagome smell different. His outstretched arms began to shake violently and he felt lightheaded. He stood up and turned away.

"I-I-Inuy-yasha . . ."

He turned and looked at her. She was sitting on the ground, her face was a mess from crying. His vision blurred and he bit his lip, then he turned sharply on his heel and ran away.

"Inuyashaa!"

[Sniffl Oh no! Inuyasha left Kagome! What will happen next? If you write me your predictions in reviews I might use them . . . otherwise it might take a while before I get the next chapter up! Plz R&R!]


	3. Grass Stains

Hitori ni Sasenai

by Lady Mac

Ookay, big honkin' author's note on this one. First of all, for those of you with vivid imaginations and weak stomachs, this chapter contains a fair amount of detail about vomit. If you _really_ don't want to read that, please email me at yammy911juno.com and I will eventually get around to emailing you the "clean" version of this chapter. It's really not that different, I just take out a few sentences. So don't email me unless it will _really_ really make you sick, because I don't have much time and I barely ever check my email.

But I promise, as gross as it is, it is important to the plot! And anyways, I am such an _ER_ junkie that it's not funny anymore, so I love that kind of stuff. And besides, my boyfriend (whom I talk about _waaay_ too much, it seems) just had a timpanoplasty two days ago (I have no idea if that's spelled right - if you know, please tell me), and he shared with me the wonderful story of his reactions to anaesthetic, morphine, and inner-ear microsurgery. That's why they tell you not to eat for "X" hours before a procedure, in case you were wondering. ("Eeew! That's gross!")

Next on the docket: Boatloads of angst in this chapter. Lots and lots. Beware if _that_ makes you sick, but no clean version for you! Eat A Rock!

Also some Miroku and Sango, and a little bit o' foul language. Though I'm sure y'all can handle that after the semi-lemon in chapter two - this is "R" rated, after all. I didn't really want to do that, but the Nefarious Plot Bunny demanded it of me. (Damn you, Nefarious Plot Bunny!)

Finally, I should explain "Eat A Rock." It's one of the wonderful slogans of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Badgers Marching Band (bwa!). It basically means "suck it up, you pussy," but I think it has a better ring to it, and it also looks better when emblazoned across the seat of a pair of red mesh shorts (gotta get me some of those). "On, Wisconsin . . ."

Many, many, many heartfelt thanks to everyone who reviewed so far! I love y'all!

Why am I rambling like this? Ack! Stop me now! You want a _story_, not a sugar rush!

Disclaimer: I own Inuyasha in my dreams. Mmm, dreams.

Chapter Three

Grass Stains

Sango was the first to hear weeping. She followed the sound to the base of Inuyasha's tree, and was stunned to see Kagome kneeling on the ground, her petite form quaking with sobs. She ran to the girl's side, suddenly very worried. "Kagome! Kagome, what's wrong?"

Kagome simply couldn't regain her composure. She just kept crying, her body shaking under the gentle touch of Sango's hand.

"Kagome! Please, talk to me! What's happened? Are you hurt?"

Kagome lifted her head and looked miserably at Sango with tears pouring down her face. "I-I-I-I-I-Inuya-y-y-y--"

She seemed to be in no condition to speak. "Inuyasha?" Sango extrapolated.

Kagome nodded and broke down again, crying into her hands.

Of course, Sango thought. The only time Kagome ever acts this way is if Inuyasha's done something really awful. The poor girl. She looked at her again, then took her elbow gently. "Come on, Kagome. You can't just sit out here alone. Let's get you to Kaede's." She lifted her to her feet, then picked up the huge pack from behind her and started off for the old miko's hut.

Miroku heard the story from Sango when he returned that evening. "Again? When will he stop doing this to her?"

"I don't know," Sango said. She looked over at Kagome, who was sleeping fitfully on a futon near the fire. "But by the looks of it, this is way worse than anything he's done before."

"Yeah," Miroku agreed. "Normally she just gets really angry at him and threatens to go home."

"She's never cried like this before." Sango looked into the monk's eyes. "I'm worried about her."

Miroku stared back. Then, before either of them realized it, he took her into a firm embrace, and held her there as she set her head on his shoulder. "And just when they seemed so happy," she whispered.

He stroked her long hair. "Yeah." Then an idea hit him. "I should go find him."

Sango sat up. "You what? Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"It is my belief that repression only makes things worse," he said matter-of-factly. "I am living proof of that."

"_Hentai_, you." She chuckled a little, then wearily sighed and glanced at Kagome. "You had better go, then. Maybe he'll tell you what's going on." She looked at him for a moment, then turned and stared into the fire.

Miroku paused as he watched her, the firelight reflecting from deep within her eyes. He leaned over and let his lips gently brush her smooth cheek, then stood swiftly and was gone.

He didn't have to go far to find Inuyasha. The boy was sitting on the gravel at the shore of the pool where Kagome and Sango would always bathe, and the last quarter moon reflected off the still water.

"Inuyasha?" he ventured.

"Go away, monk," the _hanyou_ spat back, but the words lacked their usual venom.

He came up behind the silver-haired boy. "Inuyasha, tell me what's going on."

"I said, leave me-" He spun on Miroku, claws at the ready, but the monk caught his wrist and held it at a distance from his face. "-alone." Inuyasha's voice broke, and his golden eyes sparkled with a sudden swell of tears.

Miroku stared at him, unmoving. "What happened between you and Kagome?"

"That's none of your business, you lecher," he choked, freeing his hand from Miroku's grip. He crouched by the water again, and tossed a pebble into the middle of the pool.

Miroku moved forwards and stood by his side. "We're worried about her," he said, watching Inuyasha's face in the water. "She won't eat. She won't talk, except to say your name. She hasn't stopped crying since Sango found her this morning."

Inuyasha buried his face in his hands. "I am in such deep shit."

Miroku sat beside him and dipped his toes in the water. "What did you do?"

He took a ragged breath through his hands. "I got her pregnant."

Several things went through Miroku's mind as the same time. "Shit," he finally said.

"I don't know what to do. I can't handle this. I'm too young."

"Well, first off, are you _sure_ she's . . . you know?"

"Yeah, I'm sure," he said miserably. "She has these test things from her time that told her so." He stifled a sob, then turned and grabbed the monk's arm. "Gods, Miroku, what am I gonna _do_?!?"

Miroku looked into the boy's eyes. "Take it like a man."

"Like a man!" He flopped backwards onto the gravel. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Support her. Don't make her deal with this alone. Eat a rock, if you will." He made eye contact with the _hanyou_, who sat up suddenly.

"Excuse me," he mumbled, and rushed to a patch of long grass where he proceeded to vomit onto the ground.

"_Kami-sama_!" Miroku jumped up and ran over to him. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

Inuyasha nodded feebly as he continued to retch for the next few minutes. When he finally calmed down, he sat back on his haunches. "When she told me," he said, pulling a sticky hair from his mouth, "I just couldn't handle it. I - I walked away from her. Just left her there." He looked down at what used to be the contents of his stomach, and his face turned slightly green. "I felt so sick after I did that. I've been eating grass to try to lose the feeling."

One of the benefits of being a dog, Miroku thought, making a face. "Has it helped any?"

"A little."

Miroku glanced at the puddle of bile and bits of green, then looked quickly away. "Well . . . if you're through being sick, why don't you come back and talk to Kagome?"

Inuyasha wiped some spittle from his chin and picked at a speck of grass that had dried to his shirt. He sighed. "Just let me wash up a little first so I don't smell like puke."

Miroku sighed and followed him to the water.

Dum-dum-dum! Sorry if this chapter's a little short, but I don't know how the next chapter is gonna go and I wanted your ideas and opinions on the matter! How will Kagome react to seeing Inuyasha again? Will she accept him after what he did to her? Will _he_ accept _her_ after what he did to her? And what will become of the baby? All will be revealed - eventually. And it depends on you guys, too! Write them reviews! Write, write, write! Kick 'em in the shins! (Sorry, AP Chem relapse. I'll try to avoid those.) Thanks for reading!


	4. Eien ni Naru

Hitori ni Sasenai

by Lady Mac

Wooh-hoo!! I get reviews on the first day! Thanks to all of you reviewers: pattycake, NOPINOUROOL, Kagome M.K., GirInTheDoggySuit, whateveryasay, Starlet Angel, firebird5, Koinu-ai (love your pen name!), silentmoon, jem89, and esp. Crystal56 (BFF!). V2k3: He is sooo not based on you! The rest of you guys: Inu is in character, no? He's accusing me of making Inu too much like him! Tell him he's wrong! (Isn't he?. . .) Also sasami: what do _you_ think the baby should be? All reviewers: this is your challenge! Tell me if you think the baby should be all human (since the sperm was human at the time), or if that doesn't matter and it should be 1/4 demon. Spin some convincing yarns and I may use your idea!

Quick note on the title: It's from a song called "Koi no Tenshi Maiorite," and some of you may know it as the Christmas song from the beginning of the _Love Hina_ winter movie. The whole phrase is "Eien ni naru FOR YOU," and it's translated as "eternally For You."

Disclaimer: Doesn't it suck when you can't think of a creative disclaimer? My alias may be Rumiko Takahashi, but that doesn't actually make me her. "Lady Mac" is not equal to "Rumiko Takahashi."

Chapter Four

Eien ni Naru

Sango heard them coming and pushed the curtain aside. "There you are," she whispered. "I'm glad you decided to come back, Inuyasha."

He scowled at her. "Could you leave us alone for a while?"

She looked at Miroku, who nodded and beckoned to her.

"Okay. Kaede's been asleep for a while, and so has Shippou. They shouldn't give you any trouble."

Inuyasha stepped inside. Shippou was sleeping right beside Kagome's head - it was too close for comfort. "Take the kitsune with you."

Sango padded across the floor and carefully picked up the small _youkai_. He stirred slightly, but didn't wake.

She threw Inuyasha a half-smile as she walked past him. "She's all yours."

He nodded nervously and watched the three disappear around the corner, then looked over at Kagome's sleeping form.

Despite his fearlessness in battle, Inuyasha often found himself with a severe case of the jitters when confronted by women with whom he shared an emotional bond. This time was no different - if anything, it was far worse. He had no idea what to say to her - maybe he should defend his earlier actions. No, no, said a voice inside his head. That won't score you any points with her. That'll only make it worse.

Kagome rolled over, and Inuyasha started. But she was still asleep, and he moved quietly to kneel by her side.

He set his hand on her shoulder, and he felt her gentle warmth through the blanket. She looked so happy and peaceful when she was asleep . . . but he had to speak to her.

He swallowed hard. "Kagome?"

Her eyes popped open and she stared at him. "I-Inuyasha!" she cried in a hoarse whisper. "You . . . you left me. . . ." Tears filled her eyes as she stared up at him.

"I know," he said softly. "I know. And . . . oh, Kagome, I'm so sorry! I just . . . I just couldn't take it like that."

She looked down and tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Aww, Kagome," he said, "don't cry. Come on, I'm really sorry. It was stupid of me to do that to you."

"This . . . this doesn't bode well for the future," she choked, sitting up. "And I . . . I can't go through with this alone. I need you to help me."

He hung his head. "Kagome . . . I can't help you. I just can't. I don't know what I'm doing. I . . . Kagome, I'm scared to death about all this."

"Just leave," she mumbled.

"I . . . nani?!"

"If you can't do it, just get out of my life. I don't need you."

"Kagome, no! I can't just-"

"You can't, you can't, you cant! I said _leave_!" she screamed, then burst into tears. "Leave, leave, leave, leave. . . ."

"Kagome, oh, Kagome, no, no, you've got it all wrong," he whispered, and gathered her trembling form into his arms. "I didn't mean it like that. I just . . . oh, I'm such a coward, Kagome. I should never have run from you. I hate myself for that. I will _always_ hate myself for that." He stroked her hair as she continued to cry. "Shhh. It's okay. I promise I'll be here for you. For the whole time. I would never abandon you . . . or the pup, for that matter. Our pup."

She lifted her teary face and looked at him. "But . . . how do you expect me to believe you? After what you've done. . . ."

"Kagome, I'm so sorry about that! I wasn't really leaving you, I just needed time to think."

"But . . . it's not just that. You've always been . . . distant. Everything with you is so complicated. How do I know you won't run off with Kikyo if she shows up, or something?"

"Never!" Inuyasha said, with more force than he intended. "Never." He repeated it softly, and pulled her to him again. "How . . . how can I make you believe me?"

"Commit to me," she whispered. "I need your most solemn promise that you won't abandon me."

"I already committed myself to you," he breathed, stroking her hair again.

"When?"

"The very first time that I mated you. I gave my whole self to you; there is nothing more I could possibly give anyone." She looked at him doubtfully. "It's true," he insisted. "Like . . . you know how Kouga said wolves mate for life? Well . . . dogs don't really, I guess, and dog _youkai_ don't really either - or at least my father didn't . . ." She hid her face from him again, and he realized he shouldn't have mentioned all that. Stupid, he chided himself. "But that doesn't really matter, Kagome! The point is, even if they don't, _I_ do. It's about honor. You know how much honor means to me. And even beyond that, you _are_ the only one for me. I wouldn't run off, I promise."

She leaned into him, and he tightened his arms around her. "But what about Kikyo?" she whispered. "You were in love with her, too. You _would_ have mated her, right?"

He sighed. "Maybe, if things had gone right. But the fact is, I didn't. That's like saying what if we had never met. No one would have expected us to stay celibate or anything, just because in some alternate timeline we were married."

She sat up suddenly. "We're _married_?"

He shrugged. "As far as I'm concerned, yes."

"But . . . but there wasn't a ceremony . . . or anything. . . ."

"It doesn't matter. No child of mine will be a bastard. Therefore, I, Inuyasha, take you, Higurashi Kagome" - he stared straight into her eyes - "as my mate for life."

And with that, he leaned forward and kissed her - firmly, passionately, lustily - on the mouth.

She pulled back after several minutes. "Well, um," she murmured, "don't you suppose we ought to let my parents know that we're . . . um . . . official?"

"Do you want to do some sort of ceremony or something?" he asked. "'Cuz that would be hard to arrange. No one here is that big on marriages between humans and demons. And in your time . . . I'm just too weird."

"And to get married in my time, you need proof of identity. And you don't have a birth certificate or anything. Even if you did, they would never believe you were born in 1500, even if they _did_ know who you are." She sighed. "I suppose we can't do anything official, then."

"Oh, come on," he said. "We can figure something out, if you want a real wedding. Like . . . Kaede could marry us, or something. If you really want to, we'll work something out."

She smiled at him. "That's so sweet of you. But . . . the point is, my Mom and Grandpa should know about all this."

He looked at her. "When were you going to tell them?"

Kagome pressed her index fingers together. "See, that's the thing. I was . . . I was kind of hoping _you_ could tell them for me."

"You want _me_ to tell your mother and grandfather that I knocked you up?"

She nodded sheepishly. "I'm . . . I'm kinda afraid of what they'd do to me."

"You? What about me? Everyone always blames the guy, they'd . . . they'd cut it off, or something!"

"They wouldn't but . . . I know. It's just . . . I don't think I can face them. And I thought . . . since you're all brave and everything . . ."

"Kagome, if this whole thing has taught you anything, it should be that I'm a total coward when it comes to stuff like this." She looked down at the futon, and he sighed. "Okay, I'll tell them for you. Just don't expect me to defend myself or anything. Just say the words and run. But you'll have to go see them yourself at some point."

She looked up at him. "I can do that. I'll even get you an expensive noodle cup, just for the trouble." She smiled gently. "Thank you, Inuyasha."

He took her in his arms. "I love you, too, Kagome."


	5. Honor

Hitori ni Sasenai

by Lady Mac

OMG my CD came!!!! I am soooo psyched!! It's the Inuyasha theme song collection and it totally is rocking my computer speakers!! It's the best, even though it has nine (can you believe it? NINE!!) versions of "Dearest," which I don't really like all that much - not enough to listen to incessantly, anyways. But it has the CHANGE THE WORLD karaoke, which is what i was primarily after. Y'all need to go out and buy it from someplace - it's a two-cd set and it is soooo awesome! It even has "no more words" from "Toki wo Koeru Omoi"!!! Ha, ha . . . I like to laugh at the English lyrics for "Every Heart - Minna no Kimochi" because the grammar is so awful. Like, one line says "How many do I shed my tears?" Totally crazy.

Heh heh. On German keyboards the y and z are switched so when I was there I would write words like "crayz" but think it was right when I was typing it. Funny.

Wow - I love all of you, reviewers! Whenever I need to be egged on, I just go and look at all the reviews - though new ones are even more potent than old ones! And sorry if this chappie is a little muddled, I was up for 23 hours yesterday at a sleepover and then only slept for 7, so my brain is a little off today. But lots of it I wrote previously, it's just a matter of the transfer from hard copy to digital.

Also: my mom is a veterinarian and she says normal body temp for large dogs is between 101 and 102 degrees Fahrenheit, so IY's temperature (you'll see) is probably normal for him.

Okay, enough off-topic stuff. Meat and potatoes time!!

Disclaimer: Totally not mine. Totally broke. Thank you.

Chapter Five

Honor

"Okay, let me get this straight," Inuyasha said, pacing in front of Kagome as she sat on the edge of the well. "You want me to go in there _alone_, ask your mom and Jii-chan for permission to marry you, and if they agree, then tell them about the baby."

She nodded. "Then take whatever they dish out and get back here quick."

"But what if they say no?"

"They won't," she said firmly. "I'm almost eighteen, and I only have a year of high school left. Besides, they don't really have any control over me. They haven't since I fell into the well three years ago." She scowled. "Even if they _do_ say no, it doesn't matter. I have a life here - the worst they can do is withdraw their support. We can still get married here."

He stared at her for a moment. "Kagome . . . I couldn't marry a girl - couldn't have an official ceremony - without her family's blessing. It's horribly dishonorable! If they say no, I have a _huge_ problem."

"So you couldn't marry her, but you could father a child and then abandon him and his mother and go commit _seppuku_ or something," she said flippantly as she fixed him with a death glare.

He flattened his ears against his head and backed away in submission. She was being unusually aggressive lately, and he didn't know what it was all about. "Kagome, is something wrong?" he ventured nervously. "You never act like this."

She blinked at him, then suddenly burst into tears. "I'm so sorry!" she sobbed. "I'm so sorry, Inuyasha! It's just . . . it's just that everything is so sudden! That and all the hormones and stuff. . . . These mood swings are supposed to be normal, but I feel so awful!"

He got over his initial surprise and moved to sit beside her, his arm across her shoulders while he wiped tears from her face with his other thumb. "Shh. It's okay. It isn't your fault. I know that crazy stuff is happening to your body, and I suppose it's pretty scary. Just know I'm here for you, and I won't let anything bad happen to you."

"I love you," she whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face in his hair.

He held her like that for a while before she sat up. "I'm so afraid of what my mom will say. She's not going to be at all happy, and I hope she lets us keep the baby. You know, as much as it would change our lives, I couldn't bear to get rid of it."

"Same here," he said. "Even if we didn't plan it, it is our baby and our responsibility. And to abandon one's own offspring is unthinkable, inhumane. I would never let anyone take our baby from us."

She smiled gently at him. "Let's get this over with."

"Okay." He stood up on the edge of the well, preparing to jump down. "So I'll go find them, ask them, tell them, take what they dish out. Then I'll come right back and you'll be here waiting for me."

She stood up as well and kissed him gently. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

He ran his fingers through her hair, then took a deep breath and jumped into the well. The time slip accepted him easily, and soon he was five hundred years in the future.

"Buyo!"

Inuyasha looked up and saw nothing but the ceiling of the building, but he knew Souta's voice. He jumped out, and pushed open the door. The young boy was chasing his cat around the shrine yard, and the little fuzzball was moving pretty fast considering how overweight and pampered he was. Souta didn't have a chance.

"Inuyasha!" he called, noticing the young man for the first time. "You can run fast! Catch Buyo for me!"

Inuyasha grinned. A little exercise would do wonders for his jangled nerves. "I'm on it!" he said, taking off after the cat and committing its scent to memory.

Then the cat smelled him. It paused momentarily, then bolted for the stairs leading out of the shrine.

"Oi!" the _hanyou_ yelled. "Buyo! Come back here!" He sprinted after it at the only pace that wouldn't overtake it completely, relishing the thrill of the chase. "Buyo!" The stairs flew past under his feet, and his red haori streamed behind him.

Then suddenly the surface under his feet changed. Instead of smooth stone, it was now some sort of hot, sticky, rough surface. He slowed slightly, and a piercing scream split his head in two. He lifted his head in time to see the huge metal monster bearing down on him, sunlight reflecting off its huge glass eye as it continued to scream. His senses were reeling, unable to process anything, and his ears hurt so much that his brain was practically numb.

And then it pulled him under. His foot was crushed instantly, and then the horrible beast tossed him about below it as another high-pitched scream combined with the first alto one. He thought it would never end.

And then his world exploded into pain.

He screamed. At the top of his lungs, with all the feral might that was left in his battered body. All he could think of was the pain. All he could see was red. He passed in and out of consciousness rapidly, and still the scream continued, ripped forth from him by the unbearable agony.

Flashing lights and rushed, muffled voices worked their way somehow into his brain, and he thought he recognized Kagome's mother briefly before he surrendered to the darkness.

The sun was high in the sky, and Kagome was worried. Inuyasha had been gone for over an hour, and she hadn't thought it would really be that difficult. _Mom must be giving him a really hard time_, she thought. _Maybe I should go . . . back him up_. She looked at the well beside her, then jumped in.

It was very quiet at the shrine. She looked around, then headed up to the house. As soon as she entered the kitchen, Souta latched onto her.

"Kagome! Kagome! Kagome! You're here! What took you so long?! I was all alone! It was so awful! Kagome! Kagome!"

She pulled the hysterical boy off her and crouched to look him in the eye, holding him at arms' length. "Souta! What's wrong?"

"They-they-they-they-they-"

"They _what_, Souta? Tell me what happened!" She was scared now - her brother hadn't acted like this in years. Something really terrible must have happened.

"They came and they took Inuyasha in the ambulance! It was so awful, there was blood everywhere and he wouldn't stop screaming-"

"_WHAT?_" She suddenly felt as if she would faint. "Souta - I - how? What happened? Where is Inuyasha, where's mom and Jii-chan?" She knew she was about to panic, and the crying boy in front of her wasn't helping things.

"He-he-he-he was chasing Buyo for me and he-he-he-he-he ran into the street and this truck hit him and-and-and-and-and there was blood everywhere, on the street, on the truck, on his clothes, in his hair, on his skin, on his face, on the sidewalk . . . and then his arm and his sleeve, they couldn't find them and they looked under the truck and it was stuck there and it was all bloody and pulpy and there were bone shards and torn cloth and it was all crushed and stuff and he wouldn't stop screaming until they came and they gave him some gas and-"

"_STOP!_" Kagome shrieked, covering her ears. "_STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP!!_"

The boy fell suddenly silent and stared at his sister. She was hunched over, her hands over her ears and her eyes wide and wild. Her breath came in ragged gasps, and she rocked back and forth so that he thought she would fall over.

"Stop," she whispered again.

"Mom told me to wait here for you," he said, choking on the words. "She said you wouldn't be very long, but you were. I waited so we could go to the hospital together. Mom and Jii-chan are there with him."

She reached out and used the counter to pull herself to her feet. "Let's go," she said, forcing control over herself. "Get your jacket. I have enough cash for train fare for the two of us."

The first thing that crossed Inuyasha's mind was that he was going to vomit. He tried to hold it back, but it was stronger than him and before he knew it he felt its acidic wetness bubbling out of his mouth and dripping down his chin and cheek. A cacophony of muffled voices began to speak all at once, and he felt himself being rolled by strong, firm hands away from the huge, dull pain. But the motion made him sicker, and his stomach convulsed again and again, spilling everything it had until he was left gagging on nothing.

He stayed like that for a long time, his breath coming in raspy puffs that made him cringe in pain, until the acrid smell had begun to fade and the hands that held him up rolled him gently onto his back.

"Are you awake?" asked a deep voice. It sounded so far away, and yet he could smell the human speaker - he wondered where it was coming from.

"Nn," he groaned. _Where am I? What happened?_ He tried to sit up, gingerly moving his aching limbs.

"Hold on there, just lie still," said the voice, and he felt a hand come to rest on his shoulder. The speaker was very close, despite the distance he heard. "You've been very badly injured, and you're only just out of surgery. You'll come around soon; don't try to force it."

Inuyasha imagined the voice was his father's and fell back into unconsciousness.

When he awoke again he no longer felt sick to his stomach. Through his closed eyelids he could tell that the room was only half-lit, and that alone seemed to soothe him. As he gathered his wits in preparation for opening his eyes, he realized that something warm and familiar was wrapped around his left hand, and a comforting smell drifted through the air.

It was Kagome.

"K," he said, slowly opening his eyes and blinking against the light. Even at only half, it was painful to him.

"I'm here," she said, but her voice was muffled as well. He succeeded in opening his right eye halfway before he noticed that something covered the left. Strange dilute colors and shapes swam in his vision as he struggled to focus.

"It's okay," said Kagome's distant voice. "There's a bandage over your left eye. You can only use the right for now."

Slowly the colors became sharper and the shapes stopped swimming, and Kagome's face materialized near him. She smiled. "There you go. Great job. Just relax."

But there was pain etched into her face. "Wh . . . what . . ."

"Shh," she said, patting his hand. "Don't try to talk. You were very badly injured. They said you ran into the street and a truck hit you. That's a big metal cart I told you about that can carry a lot of stuff in the back and it runs on a gas engine. Anyways," she continued, slowing down again, "it hit you and hurt you pretty badly. Your eardrums ruptured, too. The doctors said you probably won't be able to hear very well until they heal, so don't be afraid. They said it was from the horn."

_The horn?_ he thought. _What's a horn?_ "Hn?"

She smiled again. "The horn was that big loud noise it made right before it hit you."

He blinked, trying to convey his understanding.

Kagome reached down and smoothed his hair out of his face. "Don't try to move very much," she said. "Both of your legs are in splints, and your right arm has just been reattached. They don't know how much you can do with it yet, or if it will come back at all."

So _that_ was the searing, world-shattering pain he had experienced. The truck-beast had torn his arm off.

"Mama and Souta and Jii-chan heard you scream," she said. "An ambulance came and got you. That's a smaller, white truck with flashing lights and a siren. You're in a hospital now, and they've given you a lot of things to dull the pain and make you sleep. It's okay if you don't feel very well right now, that's normal." She chuckled a little, and he watched some of the pain leave her face. "You should see all the doctors here. They're so confused about you. Mama said she told them your ears and hair were just genetic traits or birth defects or something, but they were kind of scared. Oh, and I have Tetsuaiga now. Mama found it at the scene and gave it to me. I washed the blood off it, and it's right here."

She set his hand on the sword, and he stroked the hilt idly with his thumb. _At least it's still here_, he thought. _And it doesn't seem damaged_. "'tou." _Arigatou_. He closed his eye and relaxed into the pillow.

"Dou itashimashite."

Inuyasha's mind was much clearer when he awoke the next morning. He opened his good eye and looked around the room. Translucent shades covered the windows and allowed some yellow light to illuminate the room.

And Kagome was still sitting there, in the chair on the left side of his bed. Her head was resting on the mattress right by his hand, and she was breathing softly. He couldn't get over how adorable she was. He lifted his hand, careful not to dislodge any of the things that were poked into it. He guessed they were important, and Kagome had seemed very trusting, so it must not be dangerous. Just before he set his hand on her hair, her eyes fluttered open.

Inuyasha smiled shyly. "Good morning."

She sat up slowly and stretched. "Good morning. Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah," he said. "I feel lots better now. How about you?"

"I'm glad you're okay." She smiled sweetly.

"Yeah, but how are you?" he said softly, touching her hand. "I'll be fine; you're the one with child. You're delicate."

Sudden worry crossed her face. "Speaking of that, how did it go?"

He looked down. "Well, I . . . see, the thing is, I never . . . never got around to it."

She let out a deep breath. "So they still don't know."

He nodded. "Yeah. I . . . I took off after that dumb cat right away, instead of going to the house right away. I guess . . . I guess I was kind of afraid."

She brushed his cheek with her fingers. "It's okay. I don't blame you."

"Good morning!" chirped a voice at the door.

They both whipped around. A woman stood there, dressed in a nurse's scrubs.

"Uh . . . good morning?" said Inuyasha, a bit startled.

She smiled. "I'm Akemi, your day nurse. I was here checking on you yesterday, but you weren't awake yet, so you wouldn't remember me." She laughed a little to herself. "But you're up now! That's amazing progress. Tell me, how do you feel?"

"Like shit," he said sullenly.

"Well, aren't we a ray of sunshine!" she said sarcastically. "How's your vision in that eye?"

He sighed. "Normal. But my ears are still all stuffy. I can barely hear at all."

"They'll be like that for a few more days," she said. "Just until your eardrums are healed up." She picked up his chart and looked at it. "I have to take your temperature and blood pressure," she said, removing a sheath for the thermometer from one of her pockets. "And since your ears are plugged, we'll have to do it orally."

"Wait, what?" he exclaimed, going red in the face.

"Your temperature, silly," said Kagome, laughing. "What did you think she meant?"

"Shut up," he said.

"Put this under your tongue and keep your mouth closed," Akemi said, handing him a strange beige and metal thing. "It'll only take a minute."

After glaring at the women he reluctantly complied, and after a few moments the thing beeped. Akemi pulled it from his mouth, reading the numbers off it. "Still at 101.6 Fahrenheit," she said disbelievingly. "You don't feel like you have a fever, do you?"

"No," he said. "Why?"

"Your temperature is three degrees higher than is normal, and it hasn't gone down at all since we brought you in, even though we gave you some fever-reducers, and the lab results don't show any infection."

He shrugged. "I guess I'm just special."

The nurse looked at him strangely, and Kagome laughed. "Well," said the older woman, "let's see if your blood pressure is back up, then." She wrapped the strange black cuff around his right bicep and it tightened around him as she squeezed a strange rubber ball.

"That pinches," he said suddenly.

She looked up. "It does? You can feel it?"

"Of course!" he snorted. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Well ... uh, normally when we reattach a limb, the nerves don't reconnect for several days at least." She pumped it up again, and listened through a strange tube-thing as it slowly deflated. Then she scribbled something on the clipboard and took off the cuff. "Do you think you can move your fingers?"

He looked at his hand and tried to wiggle the digits, but nothing happened. "No," he said. "I can feel, but I can't move."

"That's okay," the nurse said, moving around to Kagome's side of the bed. "With the way you're healing, I wouldn't be surprised if your arm is back to normal in a week." She put the black thing around his left arm.

"It's not that bad," he said. "It was shattered once and it healed completely in about four days."

Kagome raised an eyebrow at him. "Did it really?"

"Well, it would have," he conceded. "But that's not my fault! That damn Naraku almost killed me; it would've been fine otherwise."

Kagome rolled her eyes and the nurse coughed. "Your BP is fine," she said, standing up and squeezing both of his IV bags. "And these will last you another couple of hours. I'll be back then to replace them. If you need me, just press that blue button on the bed."

He pointed. "This one?"

"That's it," she said. "Rest up. I'll see you in a few hours."

"Wait!" he said. "I'm hungry! Can't I get any food?"

"Sorry," she said. "Not after that incident you had right after the surgery. You can have broth and juice later today and solid food tomorrow evening, but nothing but water and IV until then. You've got a cup of water on that table there. See you later."

She left, and Inuyasha looked at the little cup with a bendy straw. "This totally bites."

"You'll be fine," she said, stroking his long hair which had been pulled back into a low ponytail by the hospital staff.

"Inuyasha!"

He turned again and looked to the door for the source of the voice.

"Mama!" said Kagome. "You're back early!"

"Yes," she said. "But I wanted to see how are patient was doing." She smiled and rubbed his ear absently. "Souta and Jii-chan will be by this afternoon. How do you feel?"

"I've been better."

Kagome scoffed. "That's not what you told the nurse!"

"So?" he challenged, before they fell into an awkward silence.

"So . . ." Kaiya Higurashi tried. "What's new?"

_The baby_, Inuyasha thought suddenly.

Kagome looked at him, as if she had read his mind. _Tell her_, she begged silently. _Please, just tell her._

He nodded, reluctantly agreeing. Then he turned his good eye to the other side of the bed and Kagome's mother. "Higurashi-san?"

The formality startled her a little. "Yes?"

Inuyasha glanced again at Kagome, then took a deep breath. "Your daughter is carrying my child and I would like your permission to take her as my wife."

[A/N: I could put a cliffie here, but I don't think I'm that evil . . . I'd be angry, damn it!]

Kaiya Higurashi stared at him for a long, awkward moment, then glanced at Kagome with a nervous smile. "That's crazy! He's ... that's just the morphine talking, right? That can't be true."

Kagome just stared at her hands, too petrified to respond.

Kaiya looked back to Inuyasha, and struggled to keep the rage out of her voice. "And ... how long has this been going on?"

"We conceived three weeks ago, on the new moon," he said as calmly as he could. "We ... um ... I first took her as my mate about six months ago." His mouth was dry, and he licked his lips nervously. "I had committed myself to her long before that, of course, but since we're going to have a family now we wanted to have an official marriage ceremony."

"A ... a family?" she said. "I ... I'm sorry, Inuyasha, Kagome, but there will be no family."

Kagome jerked her head up. "But, Mama! I can't--"

"NO!" Kaiya exploded, standing up suddenly. "I cannot allow you to ruin your future by keeping this baby!"

Kagome stood as well. "Mama, you have no right to tell me what to do with my body!"

"You are a minor and I am your legal guardian," she hissed. "I have _every_ right to decide what happens to your body, and we are going to the women's clinic _tomorrow_ to put an end to this nonsense."

"Wait," Inuyasha interrupted. "What does that mean, put an end to this nonsense?"

"Kagome is going to have an abortion," Kaiya said.

"That means she wants to _kill_ our baby," Kagome explained, hatred flashing in her eyes.

Inuyasha's face filled with horror. "_What?_"

"Yes," Kaiya said firmly. "It's quite safe. Your little _slut_ will not be harmed by the procedure, especially since it's so early in the pregnancy."

"That's not true, Mama! There's always a risk! It's more dangerous than you think. Those hormones could really screw me up!"

"Doesn't seem like it really matters, since your precious _dog_ already screwed you pretty well!" she spat back. "An abortion is a hell of a lot less dangerous than carrying a baby to full term at your age! You probably wouldn't get to full term anyways, you're so young. That's a _huge_ risk to both of you! Better to get rid of it now than let it die once it has a central nervous system and is capable of feeling pain!"

"How can you _SAY_ that!" Tears suddenly fell down her face. "How can you kill something so innocent? You're not even giving it a _chance_ at life!"

"Don't I get a say in this?" Inuyasha had sunk back into the pillows. His face was very pale and he was beginning to hyperventilate. "It's my child, too. Don't I have a say in my own pup's future?"

"And what would _you_ like to add?" Kaiya growled. "It was _your_ perverted animal lust that put my daughter's _life_ in danger. Though I suppose you and your _dick_ should get a chance to speak your piece."

"Mama! I take offen-"

"Let. Your. Man. Whore. Talk."

Kagome's mouth snapped shut. She had _never_ seen her mother so angry.

"I ... I know you're not happy with this, Higurashi-san," Inuyasha said weakly. "But as the child's father, I feel like I should have some rights in this. In the Sengoku Jidai I would have complete control, no matter what my age. As it is, I'm pushing seventy. And here, if you go by birthdate, I'm over four hundred years old. Surely I'm old enough to have some legal power."

"But no one knows you exist," she taunted. "You're not legally a Japanese citizen, and you're not a citizen of any other modern country, either. No matter where you go, you're an illegal alien. You have no rights at all, even though you're four hundred."

He stared at her, then at Kagome. "It's true," she said, and breathed a sigh of defeat. "As far as the government is concerned, you don't exist."

He leaned back and closed his eye, his head pounding. "You should have let me die," he murmured. "You should have just let me die."

"What?" the two women asked together.

"This is the worst dishonor I can imagine," he groaned. "I'm completely powerless to defend my family, my offspring. Take Tetsusaiga and end my wretched existence now. I am no longer worthy of life." He lifted his chin to expose his throat, jaw clenched tightly. "Please," he begged, tears falling down his cheek. "For pity's sake, just kill me."

Kaiya was shocked speechless. She stared at the boy lying exposed and vulnerable on the bed, at the tears streaming down his face.

"Please," he whimpered. "If I had the strength to do it myself, I would." He opened his golden eye and looked up imploringly at Kagome. "Koishii, please. Take Tetsusaiga and do it yourself. I have dishonored you and your family, and without the baby I can't justify living like this."

The couple stared at each other, their eyes reflecting their mutual pain. Inuyasha was very serious, and Kagome knew it. If he could move his arms, she knew he would take his own life without a second thought or a hint of regret.

But Inuyasha also knew that Kagome would never take a life unless it endangered others, and she would never dream of harming him. They were at an impasse, and didn't know how they could proceed.

Then something inside Kaiya broke, and she saw what she had done to this boy - no, this man - who understood honor far better than she ever would. She also saw what she had done to Kagome, to her dear, precious daughter, whom she had sworn never to harm.

She made a choking sound and backed away from the bed.

The couple's heads snapped to face her, and their harsh gaze made her nervous.

"I have to go," she whispered, and nearly ran the nurse over on her way out.

A/N: "Seppuku" = ritual suicide performed by dishonored samurai

"Arigatou" = thank you

"Dou itashimashite" = you're welcome/it's nothing

"Koishii" = beloved

Review please! Even if it's nothing, I love reviews! And please tell me what you want to happen! My muse and I don't always agree, especially since he doesn't know the show very well, so I want your opinions and ideas!


	6. Kagome no Kakera

Hitori ni Sasenai

by Lady Mac

Time to respond to my reviewers!

inuyashatotallyobsessed: omg omg I love you! You are my first reviewer to offer suggestions! (Besides v2k3 but i begged him and he still has Moreland on the brain) ahem. YAY!! And very _good_ suggestions, I might add ... hmmm.... But don't worry I'd hate myself if I killed the pup, so Shippou-chan will be a big brother eventually ;-) Miroku, eh? Hmm... I _did_ mention MxS in the summary...

Crystal56: you're my _other_ muse. Markypoo tells me what to write, you make me _want_ to write it! And I love your rants! Heh heh heh...

kogalover: why, yes i do. Thank you =-= (If you think _that's _bad, don't read my shaxpear fics...)

WAAHH!! sobs My fountain pen has blue ink! I thought it was black but it's blue so I can only ink my drawings in blue and that's depressing...... At least until I use up the blue cartridge. I guess I'll have to write a lot of rough drafts in blue until that happens.

Also, I'm going to have to ask you to suspend your disbelief a little bit in this chapter. Yes, I realize that even in the context of the story it's implausible that Kagome would miss that shard. But, as the author of "All Things Keep Getting Better" (in my favorites) said, you read fanfiction about a half-demon dog boy and a time-travelling girl. One more little jump of the imagination shouldn't be too much of a stretch. =-= Of course, she was referring to a skirt being half an inch shorter than Kagome's school uniform ...

Terri Botta, if you're reading this, I just read chapters 41 and 42 and I _need_ you to update soon! Everyone else, go read her story and make her update soon! I'm totally addicted, and my writing here and in the upcoming "Singular Sensation" will be sporadic until "The Lucky Ones" is finished!

Note on the title: "Kagome no Kakera" has a double meaning. It can mean either "Kagome's shard(s)" or "shard(s) of Kagome."

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. Feh.

Chapter Six

Kagome no Kakera

After her mother left, Kagome cried for a long time. Akemi changed Inuyasha's IV bags, and asked quietly if there was anything she could do for the girl who was sobbing helplessly into the bed linens. He shook his head - he was at a complete loss for what to do.

She cried until they both fell asleep, and they both woke that evening when Akemi brought Inuyasha some thin soup. She also invited Kagome to visit the vending machines at the nurses' station on the floor, and she returned after only a few minutes, slightly calmer and bearing two bags of chips and a can of Mountain Dew.

"What do you have there?" Inuyasha asked, poking at his beef broth with the plastic spoon.

"Potato chips." She pulled the bag open. "You've had them before; I brought some to the Sengoku Jidai for you."

He pointed at the can. "And that?"

"Soda," she said, then popped it open and took a sip of its sticky sweetness. "Mm. I probably shouldn't be having all this caffeine, but I needed a pick-me-up."

"Why shouldn't you be having ... caaafff ... eeeeeiine?" he asked, stumbling over the foreign word.

She sighed. "They say pregnant women shouldn't have much caffeine because it can mess up the baby. But I don't think a can of ambrosia at this stage will make much of a difference."

"Ambrosia?" he asked skeptically.

"Sweet ambrosia of the gods," she replied, lifting the can towards the ceiling. "The nectar of life." She lowered it to her lips and took another sip. "It's very good."

"Is that the stuff with the bubbles?"

"Yeah."

He made a face. "How can you _drink_ that? It's nasty!"

They bantered like that for a while, until all of their lighthearted topics had been beaten to death and a worried stillness settled over the room.

"So ... how are you feeling?" Kagome asked hesitantly.

"Pretty well, considering," he said.

"They want you here for three weeks, you know."

"_Three weeks_??" he said. "That's insane! How do they expect me to just sit here like a caged animal for three weeks?"

"I guess that's how long they'd want a normal reattached-limb patient to stay. But ... how long do you think you'll need?"

He looked down at his arm and tried to move his fingers again. After a long minute, his thumb twitched and he grinned broadly. "No more than a couple of days to get most of my function back, and then maybe a week after that to get up to full strength again."

"Do ... do you think you'd be okay to go back to the Sengoku Jidai in ... like, three days?"

He lifted his head slowly and looked at her as realization dawned. "You're suggesting we just leave? Without telling anyone?"

"I can't let her _do_ this to us," Kagome insisted. "I just _can't_. And there's no way she'll go back on her decision, not after she made such a case about it. I mean ... if my heart wasn't firmly against it, the science alone would have swayed me."

"Thank the gods for your heart," he whispered, and kissed her forehead when she leaned close. Then he sighed. "So we run away."

For the next three days Kagome lived at the hospital, only leaving Inuyasha's side for brief trips to the bathroom and vending machines. Eventually Akemi started bringing her hospital food, and it was mildly better than chips and soda every meal. Her mother did not return - no one at all came to visit.

By dawn on the third day, Inuyasha was no longer connected to his IVs and the only thing left for Kagome to do was remove the now-useless bandages, and the monitors that were still connected to him. Luckily, this was very easy and they had already been turned off so the sudden lack of vital signs wouldn't raise suspicions at the nurses' station.

He stood on his own and dressed quickly in his normal red clothes, which had repaired themselves while they sat folded on the shelf.

Kagome avoided looking at him while he changed, attempting to maintain a semblance of modesty. When he was done he touched her hand and she turned to face him. "This is it," she whispered.

He nodded, then pulled her into a tight hug. "I wish it didn't have to be this way."

"Me, too," she said, then pulled back and looked at him. "But it's for the baby."

"_Our_ baby," he agreed. "Our family." He moved in close and nuzzled her cheek, ending the moment with a delicate kiss to her lips.

She breathed deeply. "Let's go."

They made it safely off the floor without alerting any suspicion, and somehow managed to get all the way out of the hospital without being stopped.

Kagome let out a relieved breath. "That was the hard part. Now all we do is hop the subway back to the shrine."

"How long will that take?" Inuyasha asked nervously.

"Twenty minutes," she said. "No sweat at all. We'll get there, I'll sneak in through the window and get my stuff, and we'll be gone before anyone wakes up."

They arrived on schedule, and Inuyasha found the strength to leap with her to her window and let her into the house. She packed as many of her belongings as she could, and grabbed the small vial of jewel shards.

_Squeak_.

She started violently and dropped the vial. The top popped off and all the little pink pieces scattered on the floor.

They held perfectly still, not daring to breathe, wondering who was outside the door, who could have heard them come in. Inuyasha strained his ears and nose, searching to discover the identity of the presence.

"No one's there," he whispered finally. "I can't smell anyone. It must have just been the house."

She sank to her knees and started gathering the shards back into the vial. She held it up. "Is that all?"

He nodded. "Looks like it."

"Good." She glanced around the room one final time, and they disappeared out the window.

. .

Kaiya Higurashi woke to the same sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach that she had begun to grow accustomed to. Her Kagome wasn't at home - she hadn't been for three days now. She had crushed the girl's heart in a fit of anger, and wished more than anything that she could apologize to her. But Kagome hadn't come home, and Kaiya was too afraid and ashamed to go back and see them at the hospital, at the site of their initial confrontation. Her own cowardice made her sick, and she barely ate, slept, or did anything else. Jii-chan and Souta had, of course, asked her what was wrong, but she was as unable to talk about her pain as she was to eat. She would stand for hours in the doorway of Kagome's bedroom, watching the furniture and various belongings that sat unused while their owner was absent. It wasn't that it was odd for Kagome to be gone for long stretches of time - she did, of course, disappear into the past for days at a time - but this time ... this time, it was _her fault_.

Kaiya swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood slowly, trying to ignore the throbbing in her head and sharp pains in her gut. The sun was only just coming up, and she walked slowly down the hall to Kagome's room and slid the door open.

It was empty.

Fear seized her and she stumbled into the gutted room. The closet doors were open and only a few items of clothing remained, and the pillows and blankets were gone from the bed. The surface of the desk was bare - all the books and pencils and photos had been removed, and the posters on the wall were gone as well. She pulled the drawers open - nothing. There was nothing of Kagome's left.

She ran to her room and dressed in a panic, then bolted out the door and drove as fast as she could to the hospital. She parked hurriedly, and rushed to Inuyasha's floor.

Chaos reigned supreme. Nurses were yelling and scrambling around, the phones were ringing off the hook. All the activity was centered around one room, and a few other patients were watching from their doorways.

_Oh, no_, she thought. _Oh, gods, no!_

Her feet took her to the eye of the storm, and she saw that her fears were true. Inuyasha's room was empty as well. The white-haired boy and her daughter were nowhere to be found, and the only things that remained were the hospital equipment and gown.

She left the building in a stupor. Gone. Completely gone. They had left no trace, given no warning. Not so much as a goodbye. She knew where they had gone, of course. Down the well. Into the past where no one could get them, where they led their other apart from her. The other life where everything had begun.

She drove home, and as she parked the car she was suddenly overcome with grief. The tears flowed freely and her body shook with sobs as she dragged herself upstairs and collapsed on Kagome's bed.

Kaiya looked around through the bleary haze that clouded her vision. Her baby was gone, and she wasn't coming back. Not after all the hateful things she had said, had threatened to do. She had known all along that Kagome would never willingly kill anything, especially not her own child, unborn though it was. And she knew enough about Inuyasha to understand that he loved her deeply and truly, perhaps more than she had ever experienced herself. He would never do anything to harm her, or allow anything to happen that would cause her distress if he could help it. She knew at that moment he was braving his own weakness to keep Kagome safe.

Something on the floor sparkled, and she rased her head. It was sitting on the carpet, halfway under the desk. The sunlight coming through the window had suddenly hit it, and as she blinked to clear her vision she realized what it was.

It was a shard of the jewel.

She sank to her knees on the floor and picked it up. It was, indeed, a piece of the Shikon no Tama. The pink glow of the magic was unmistakable.

Kaiya began to cry again. Kagome had been in such a hurry to leave that she had lost this precious shard. She had wanted so desperately to leave that she had been uncharacteristically careless and forgotten this thing that was the entire reason for her to be in the Sengoku Jidai. The thing that could make her problems there end so she would _never _have to come home.

A thought hit her. Kagome _did_ have to come home. She had to come and get this jewel shard.

She stood quickly and ran down the stairs and out to the shrine yard. "Kagome!" she called, racing towards the well house. "Kagome, please! Come back to me! Kagome!"

She ran down the stairs to the well and peered over the edge, the shard still clutched in her hand. She knew she couldn't go through, but she _could_ be right here when Kagome came back.

Her heart still pounding, she sat on the edge of the well. "Kagome," she begged. "Please, Kagome, come home."

Soft pattering on the stairs caught her attention. She turned just in time to see the cat throw itself at her.

"Buyo!" She leaned to catch him, but in the process lost her balance and fell into the well.

She braced for the impact with the bottom. It never came. She opened her eyes just in time to see the whorls of color in the time slip fade into the familiar bottom of the well and she came to rest gently on the dirt.

As it turned out, the bottom was the only thing that was familiar. She looked up. Vines crept down the sides, and above her the sky was blue and cloudless.

She climbed out slowly, still clutching the fragment of the jewel. Grass surrounded the well, green in the warm spring air.

One thing was for certain: She was _not_ in Tokyo any more.


	7. Apologies

Hitori ni Sasenai  
  
by Lady Mac  
  
Let's start this one off with: A massive Author's Note! I'll get to the meat n' taters eventually, I promise.  
  
Sasha: None of the series sites I've been to give Kagome's mom a name, and every fanfic uses a different one. Some don't even try and just call her "Mama" which gets confusing sometimes. But I read one in which she was named Kaiya and I think it's a pretty name so I used it.  
  
Tairi Soraryu: I luv ya too, gurly! And I'm glad you love my story! As for your questions: voltaire2003 is my boyfriend, and Inu and Kag will be looking at baby names in the future. However, I've already chosen a name, as well as an additional eighteen or so (yeah, i know) for future characters. So you can suggest names if you want, but I probably will stick with what I've got. Also .. heh heh... I wouldn't know if Mama acts that way in the manga because I haven't read it! All i know comes from the anime, the web, and Well.. and But that's kinda the same, ne? And ... chapter four is funny? ..... well, i guess it is, kinda. Heh. Mommy, mommy, look! I maked a funny! Oh yeah... and as for the English slang (this is just rambling now, isn't it?), I just used it because it had the right feel for the character and the situation. I'm pretty sure no one in 14th century Japan would say he "knocked up" a girl or went off by himself to "jack off." But I tried the whole period-appropriate dialogue thing with Macbeth and I just don't like it. Too much like school. Besides, that's how Inu talks in the dub AND the sub. The others have a little more decency, but that's why we love our inu.  
  
I wish you guys would give me more suggestions instead of just reviewing! It's hard to do this all by myself ... If you want, you can go back to some of the suggestions in reviews and expand on those. That makes my job a whole lot easier and makes the chapters go up quicker! (hint, hint, "update soon" people!) I know, I know, I'm "unsubtle."  
  
(Pouts) And v2k3 is on vacation so I can't call randomly and bounce ideas off him ... it's just me and the brats for now.  
  
I am also ANGRY that I live in the Midwest (never thought I'd say that!) because if I was at San Diego Comic-Con International I could audition for a role as an extra voice in Inuyasha! OOOHHHH!! That makes me really angry, especially since I have family in LA ...  
  
I finally got a Chorus Line CD from the library! Yay!! "Singular Sensation" is well on its way. "One thrilling combination, ev'ry move that he makes..."  
  
Heh. I got my hair cut (again) so it's not hanging down the back of my neck anymore and I got the front layered so it doesn't go POUF at my jawline - instead it goes POUF around my whole head. Y'know, in case you cared.  
  
Don't you hate it when you're typing and you accidentally type two capital letters in a row? Especially when it's a two-letter word so WordPerfect doesn't change it automatically for me.  
  
Have you guys ever seen Martian Successor Nadesico? It so rocks! I got it from Half Price Books and it's so cool!  
  
Wai, wai! takes .wpd files! Scoreness!  
  
Good God, this is turning into a blog. ENOUGH ALREADY!!! I'm supposed to be writing a story!  
  
Also, please note the changed email address. Send all correspondence from now on to: . It's funny, though, because a few hours after I changed my email with I got two author alerts! Y'all rock.  
  
deep breath...  
  
On with the fic!  
  
Disclaimer: Try as I might to amass a huge enough fortune to buy the rights from Ms. Takahashi, failure seems to be my lot in life this week since I only make five bucks an hour babysitting and I need that for a band trip to New York in spring. Pfui.  
  
Chapter Seven  
  
Apologies  
  
Kaiya Higurashi was frightened half to death. She had never expected to fall through the well into the past, and had no idea what to do. Her first instinct was to jump back in and go home, but she stopped herself. "No," she said. "You're here now. That means Fate wants you to find Kagome and apologize." She looked down into the well. "And besides, if you do go back there's no promise it'll let you through again."  
  
Her second instinct was to start walking and hope she found someone, but that just seemed foolish. She knew there would be all sorts of youkai in the forest, and she was simply not capable of defending herself against them. But then again, she was a sitting duck if she stayed at the well. As foolish as it might be, wandering aimlessly seemed to be the best option.  
  
She stood and surveyed her surroundings. The clearing was slightly oblong, with the well near one end. At the opposite end there seemed to be a small trail running into the woods and out of sight. In fact, it seemed more and more promising as she drew nearer. The twigs and brambles were had been pushed aside, and ... yes! There were unmistakable bicycle tracks. Since it was the Sengoku Jidai, the only bicycle in Japan belonged to Higurashi Kagome.  
  
Jewel shard firmly in hand, she set off down the path.  
  
She hadn't gone very far before the trees began to thin and she saw the top of the Goshinboku rising above the foliage. She hurried towards it, and soon the village came into view.  
  
As she neared, a group of men looked up and noticed her nearing the outskirts. They said something inaudible, then rushed into the village, presumably to tell someone about her.  
  
It struck her then how absurd she must look to these people. She was wearing a pair of plain grey sweat pants, flip flops, and a blue t-shirt that read "UCLA Varsity" in English. Kagome had bought it for her as a joke during her college search days - before she had decided to ... well, to forego higher education in favor of starting a family with Inuyasha in Japan's distant past.  
  
Kaiya shook her head. Her clothes weren't absurd, her entire life was. She was a widowed mother of two who lived in a Shinto shrine with her father-in-law, and her seventeen-year-old daughter - who happened to be the reincarnation of a powerful miko - spent most of her time in 1550's Japan and was pregnant with the child of a seventy-year-old "boy" who was, incidentally, half-youkai. And here she was now, in said 1550's Japan, to find said seventeen-year-old daughter, and confront her about said child. Her life was a total mess.  
  
She sighed, and looked up as an old woman in miko's clothing came out of the village towards her.  
  
"Come no closer!" the woman commanded, and Kaiya froze. "Identify yourself! Be ye friend, or foe?"  
  
"F - friend!" Kaiya stammered. "I - I seek Higurashi Kagome."  
  
"Kagome-sama!" said the woman, looking at the man and woman who had followed her. The man was tall and wore the robes of a Buddhist monk, and the woman was only slightly shorter and dressed in a plain pink-and-purple yukata.  
  
"Shall I fetch her?" asked the man.  
  
"Iie, Houshi-sama," said the younger woman. "Kagome-chan said specifically not to be disturbed while she was tending to Inuyasha."  
  
"Please!" Kaiya tried. "She is my daughter, and I must speak to her!" She took a step imploringly.  
  
"I said, come no closer!" the old woman commanded again, and she stepped back quickly. "If ye are a demon, ye shall never overtake our village or Kagome-sama!"  
  
"She's not a youkai," said a little voice, and Kaiya noticed the small ... thing for the first time. It looked like a three-year-old with bright red hair, green eyes, and a fluffy tail. "She's a human. I can smell it."  
  
The old woman looked at her suspiciously, then nodded. "All right then. You may enter the village, but you may not see Kagome-sama until she is finished tending to her mate."  
  
Kaiya bowed low. "Thank you."  
  
"I am Kaede, this village's miko," said the old woman, turning back to the village. "The houshi is named Miroku, and the taijiya is Sango. The kitsune is known as Shippou."  
  
"Hajimemashite," she said humbly, and they replied in kind.  
  
She followed the elderly miko through the street to her hut, trying to ignore the stares of the villagers. "Kagome-sama is within with Inuyasha-san. You may wait with me in the garden," said Kaede. "I have work to do there, and you may help me if you wish."  
  
"Thank you, Kaede-sama, I will."  
  
They went around to the back of the hut and began working on the herbs that grew in a small fenced-in area.  
  
"Kaede-sama?" Kaiya asked a while later.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I was wondering ... has Kagome said anything since she returned?"  
  
"Nothing of consequence," the miko answered. "Why?"  
  
"Well, it's just ... that I drove her away, and ... I don't know."  
  
"You drove her away?"  
  
Kaiya nodded. "I said some terrible things to her and Inuyasha that I really didn't mean." She looked down at her hands in the dirt. "By the way, if it isn't too bold to ask ... what did Sango-san mean when she said that Kagome was ... tending to Inuyasha?" She hated to think what it could mean, hated to think what her daughter might be doing just on the other side of the wall.  
  
"Inuyasha-san was very weak and tired when they returned. Kagome-sama wished to get him settled in to rest for a while, and insisted that he not be disturbed. She has told us nothing of what happened, so we must trust her."  
  
"Oh," Kaiya said, blushing. "Then ... they're not ..."  
  
"Oh, heavens, no!" said Kaede, laughing a little. "They have never engaged in ... intimate relations within the village. Had they their own hut I am sure they would, but even as it is one can sometimes hear them from the woods. I am sure that will be a large issue for Inuyasha-san to work with when they finally decide to marry."  
  
"He asked me for my permission to have her," Kaiya said.  
  
"What did ye say? Surely ye agreed."  
  
She shook her head in shame. "I didn't. I don't know if you know this, but ... Kagome's pregnant, and Inuyasha acknowledges that he is the father. I was too frightened to let him do what was honorable. And, as if that wasn't bad enough, I told Kagome she had to get rid of the baby."  
  
"Get rid of it?" Kaede echoed.  
  
"Yes. In ... in our time, there is technology, medicine that can ... can kill an unborn child. I was afraid it would endanger Kagome's safety to have a child at her age."  
  
"Most girls are married with children of their own by Kagome-sama's age," the miko said. "I am sure it would be quite safe for her to bear the child."  
  
"I know," Kaiya said. "I know. I just ... I'm so afraid."  
  
"That is understandable," Kaede said, then looked up as the girl in question rounded the corner of the hut.  
  
"Kaede-sama, Sango-chan said that..." She trailed off at the sight of her mother kneeling in the dirt. Several emotions flickered through her grey eyes before she spoke. "Why are you here? I don't want to see you."  
  
"I came to talk to you."  
  
"Well, I don't want to talk to you. You can't control me anymore, Mama. I have my own life here and you aren't part of it." She turned sharply and walked out of the garden.  
  
"Kagome!" Kaiya jumped to her feet and caught her daughter by the arm. "Please, honey, I came to apologize to you for what I said at the hospital."  
  
Kagome was silent for a moment. "Apologize?"  
  
"Yes." She took a deep breath. "I ... I was far too hard on you, and I shouldn't have said what I did. The choice was yours to make, and I respect that."  
  
"Which choice are you referring to, Mama? My choice to marry Inuyasha? My choice to keep the baby? My choice to do as I see fit, even if it means I choose to have sex outside of marriage with some dog from the past?"  
  
Kaiya was taken slightly aback by her daughter's words. "I ... I didn't call him that."  
  
"Yes you did. Now answer the question."  
  
She sighed. "They .. they're all your decisions, Kagome. I see that now. You're a woman now, you're not my little girl anymore. I can't protect you like I once did. You want to start a family of your own - I can't take that from you. Inuyasha loves you too dearly to let me do anything to harm you. And ... and since you've made your decision, I want you to know that I still love you. I love you so much. And I love Inuyasha as my son-in-law, and I love ... I love my little grandchild."  
  
Kagome closed her eyes and drew a shuddering breath. "You ... you do?"  
  
Kaiya took her daughter gently by the shoulders and turned her around. "More than anything, Kagome. I wouldn't lie to you about that. All those things I said were a product of surprise, and fear, and worry. But I've let that go, and all I want is for us all to be happy again." She looked into the girl's eyes, then placed one hand tenderly on her abdomen. "Please. Don't cut me out. I want us to be a family."  
  
Kagome stared at her for a moment, then threw her arms around her neck. "Oh, Mama, I love you too!" Great sobs burst suddenly from her throat, and she clung to her mother with all her might. "I love you, Mama."  
  
The hut was dark and empty when Inuyasha awoke. He sat up, afraid that he had slept to long and kept the others out, but then realized that something had been hung over the window. "Heh," he said to himself, climbing easily to his feet. "I should have guessed." He lifted his arms above his head and stretched, then pushed the reed mat aside and stepped out into the bright sunlight.  
  
Several female voices were coming from Kaede's garden behind the hut, so he followed them and nearly fell over at the sight that assaulted him.  
  
She was there.  
  
He drew Tetsusaiga, which transformed obediently into its most menacing form. "Don't move, bitch." The statement was a feral growl more than anything, but its meaning was not lost on the humans.  
  
"Inuyasha!" Kagome screeched. "What are you doing?!?" She jumped and rushed to him. "Put that away!"  
  
"No!" he said, staring down his enemy, who was cowering on the ground. "I can't believe you came near her again after what you did! Some mother you are! I should cut your fucking head off!"  
  
"Inuyasha! Don't make me.."  
  
"If I even hear you looked at her, I swear, I will remove your fucking head from.."  
  
"OSUWARI!"  
  
He hit the ground with a resounding thud, and Tetsusaiga dutifully obeyed gravity's call and hit him on the head. "Fu-u-uck, wench!" he moaned, slowly turning his head to face her. "What the hell was that for?"  
  
She pressed her heel into his cheek, popping his lips apart. "You're impulsive and foul-mouthed. If you had been listening instead of swearing, you would have heard me tell you that Mama is sorry for what she said to us and didn't really mean it. We made up while you were asleep, stupid."  
  
"Oo ade uh?" he said, incredulous.  
  
"Very good." She released him from her shoe and he sat up grudgingly. "Now you'd better apologize right now or I'll say it again."  
  
He picked up the rusty sword and slid it back into its sheathe. "Gomen nasai, Higurashi-san," he said. "I shouldn't have attacked you. It was rude and impulsive of me." He stood and looked down at her.  
  
Kagome's hand hit the back of his head.  
  
"Oww! What?!?"  
  
"Help her up!" she said in a stage whisper. "She is your mother-in-law. Try being nice!"  
  
Inuyasha frowned a little, but stretched out a hand to help the woman to her feet again. She accepted, and smiled gently. "I'm glad we're friends again, Inuyasha. That makes being family a whole lot more pleasant."  
  
[A/N]  
  
Just some language things. "Iie" = no, "houshi-sama" is a respectful name for a Buddhist monk, "hajimemashite" means "pleased to meet you," and yes, I did use Kaede's "ye" from the dub even though I hate it. And if you think this is the end of the f-bombs, think again. Inuyasha is a world-class potty-mouth.  
  
Coming soon: Kouga! 


	8. Marked

Hitori ni Sasenai

By Lady Mac

A/N: Hi again everybody! Sorry this is taking so long, but school started and life is absotively nuts! But anyways, I was rereading chapter two, and I got to the part where Inuyasha says "Still got my pants on," and it made me think of the crazy stuff we were doing at the football game on Friday night! Our slogan for the day was "Take off your pants, and go Trojans!" and the cheerleaders were going to do the "Jump, shake your booty" cheer for me, Lisa, Amanda, Katie, and PDR (Pimp Daddy Ross -- isn't that the best nickname?), so while we were loading sousaphones and drums into the vans I combined the two to get "Jump, take your pants off!" It's really funny because almost everyone wears shorts under the band uniform, so we actually _could_ take our pants off in public! It was tremendous fun!!

So anyways, this is just a note for all the people - I'm now posting this story on as well, since there I can put in lots of lemons and what-have-you and not worry about stuff getting deleted. So if anything happens to it - or you want some pointless filth - I have the same pen name at aff, and the title and everything is the same.

Another note on this chapter particularly: There are TWO lemons in this. This version doesn't go into much detail, so if you want it give me your email address and I will email you the detailed version of the first one. Aff-ers, don't worry because I'll just put it in. Go find it at if you want the one that says about two sentences about Kouga that kind of builds to the resolution of that plot string, but it's not really necessary.

Kouga fans: I really hope I did him justice in this. I don't like him a lot, but I wanted to keep him in character, and I hope it's not overly fluffy or anything. Criticize me if you must, but give me suggestions instead of straight insults!

And for all you Mir/San peeps - your day has come!! Enjoy! Yes, it's corny, but I like that, okay?!? Just back off already! sniffl. Okay, I'm done being melodramatic now.

Disclaimer: Fine, you caught me. I have Inuyasha stashed in my locker at school, Kagome is in the percussion room, Shippou, Kirara, Sango, and Miroku are in the theater shop sorting gels, and Sesshy is sweeping the grid (he talked back to v2k3, aka Mark who is the new Mark, aka basket case.)

Ahem.

Chapter Eight

Marked

Inuyasha and Kagome escorted Kaiya back through the well to her own time, and after taking back the lost jewel shard returned again to the Sengoku Jidai.

Their lives returned gradually to something resembling what they considered "normal." The group of friends continued to search and fight for shards of the Shikon no Tama, though Kagome made occasional non-school-related forays to her own time since her mother insisted on frequent checkups for her and the child. Additionally, when he had nothing better to do, Inuyasha would pace around the village, muttering to himself and occasionally writing things in a notebook that Kagome had given him. He showed it to no one, and kept it hidden inside his haori when he wasn't writing in it.

One evening while Kagome was cooking dinner on the road, she asked him about it.

"Oh," he said, startled, then looked around and sighed. "Well, I guess this is as good a time as any." He pulled it out and flipped to a page halfway through, then held it up so she could see. "Kagome, I'm going to build you a house."

She nearly dropped the chopsticks she was using to stir the noodles. "A _house_?"

He smiled. "Of course. We're going to need someplace of our own once this all gets going."

She stared at the intricate drawing, her mouth open. "But ... this is ... it's so elaborate!"

"This is incredible!" Sango interjected, peering at the paper. "Can you really build all this?"

"Don't see why not," Inuyasha said. "I mean, I might need a couple of guys to help me with some parts, but this shouldn't be impossible."

"You're crazy," Miroku said, and Sango squealed and smacked his hand away from her rear end.

Inuyasha grinned. "Not crazy. A good provider is what I am."

"You could take a couple of things from his book," Kagome said teasingly and went back to cooking.

"Yoink!" The monk snatched the notebook away, and was paging through it before the startled hanyou could react.

"Oi! Bouzu! That's mine!!" He grabbed for the little book, but Miroku held it just out of his reach.

"You dirty dog!" he said, holding it out and studying a page closely. "You actually _drew_ that!"

"What!" squeaked Kagome, noodles forgotten again.

Inuyasha turned bright red. "I - I didn't! _You're _ being dirty!" He took it forcefully from his friend and stuffed it inside his _haori_. "These are just plans, and I had to get ideas down. I never drew anything dirty!"

Miroku smirked as he sat on the ground near the fire, then held up a bowl. "May I have some noodles, Kagome-sama?"

The rest of the evening passed in relative quiet. They finished eating their dinners, and Inuyasha and Miroku were left to prepare the area for sleeping while the women, Kirara, and Shippou went to a river nearby to wash the dishes.

"I know what I saw in that notebook, Inuyasha," Miroku said as he picked up sticks from a flat spot on the ground.

Inuyasha sighed. "I know you do. I just don't want Kagome to know. She's ... well, I just don't think she'd take it all that well."

Miroku smiled. "Me neither. I know Sango would have a fit if she knew the things I thought about doing with _her_."

"Feh. Aren't you two together yet?"

No answer.

Inuyasha looked at him smoothing out a bedroll. "Have you even kissed her yet?" he asked, more gently this time.

Miroku shook his head. "Not really. I mean ... a peck on the cheek once doesn't count, does it?"

"No." Inuyasha looked down at Kagome's sleeping bag, which he had unrolled on the ground.

Miroku followed his gaze. "How come you don't sleep together?"

The hanyou's head snapped up and he blushed a little. "What? Whaddya mean?"

He sat down on another bedroll. "You and Kagome. You're getting married, but you don't sleep in the same bed. She's always in a bag with Shippou, and you're always up in a tree. It seems to me like you should get used to openly being intimate with her instead of just fantasizing about it."

Inuyasha sighed. "I suppose so. I mean, with all this the _least_ I can do is keep her warm at night." He studied the sleeping bag closely and decided it was - _barely_ - big enough for two. "Shippou is gonna have to go, though."

Miroku laughed. "Not enthusiastic about sharing your girl with a kitsune, huh?"

"Fuck no!" He sat happily on the bedroll and began fluffing the pillow, but a loud scream from the river tore him out of his daydream. "Kagome!" He leapt to his feet, but before he could start running he smelled someone familiar come close, and moments later Kouga himself appeared at the edge of the trees, Kagome trapped at his side by his powerful grasp.

"Inu-koru!" he said in greeting. "Looks like you let your guard down and I got the girl again!"

Inuyasha seethed with rage. "I didn't let my guard down! You and your sneaky-ass shards came out of nowhere!"

Kouga smirked. "No matter! But if you want to keep an available bitch to yourself, you should defend her a little better!"

"She's not _available_!" he barked, and managed to pull the surprised wolf-demon's arm off of Kagome, who instantly clung to his haori and watched Kouga suspiciously. "Honestly, baka, do you _ever_ use your nose?"

He raised an eyebrow. "I _know_ she's pregnant. That means nothing except that you've defiled her. It's a mystery to me why she would stay with you after that."

"You bastard!" Kagome's hand flew fast and hit him on the face. "I was _not_ raped! Everything we did was consensual!"

His eyes narrowed at Inuyasha and he rubbed his cheek. "Then why does she not bear your mark, inu-koru? I suppose you're too stupid to know what that is, though."

Inuyasha growled and lunged at him, but Kouga leapt easily away. "I'm not like you wolves!" he barked. "I don't _bite_ my bitch so scum like you will know she's mine!"

"Why ever not?" Kouga asked gleefully. "All _civilized_ youkai do it. It's really the only way to ensure fidelity!"

Kagome grabbed Inuyasha and pulled him to her. "I would _never_ be unfaithful to Inuyasha, Kouga! How can you think that?"

"I know you humans," he sneered. "Monogamy among your type is practically an oxymoron!" He focused again on Inuyasha. "Who knows when she'll get tired of you and go looking for someone better? No one in their right mind would take a girl who already has a mating mark. Although ... that's only if it's from a _powerful_ youkai. I don't know how many would honor a _hanyou's_ claim." He looked at the couple in disdain, then seemed to mentally shrug his shoulders. "But she's not marked anyways, so there really is nothing to stop me from taking her and marking her as my own..."

"Never!" Inuyasha drew Tetsusaiga and leapt at the wolf, who barely missed having his legs sliced off.

"Inuyasha, no!" Kagome cried. This was escalating quickly out of control. "Please, if it's that important, can't you just do it now?"

Inuyasha and Kouga almost fell over at the suggestion. "In .. in front of all these people?" Inuyasha asked, incredulous.

Several meters removed, Miroku's eyes nearly bugged out. He had heard about this, and if it actually happened he was _not_ going to miss it.

"_HENTAI!_"

Sango dope-slapped him as hard as she possibly could, and he doubled over on himself in surprise. He hadn't realized she had returned. Slowly he turned to look up at her. "What the hell?!? I didn't do anything!"

"Uh ... yes," Kagome said, ignoring the scene behind her. "I mean ... if it's that important, why couldn't we just do it?"

"I don't think you fully understand," Inuyasha hissed. "In order for it to work, we have to be ... well, actively engaged in sexual intercourse."

Kagome blushed right up to the roots of her hair. "Why ... why didn't you do it before?"

"I just ... I didn't think you'd like it. I have to draw blood, and it's supposed to hurt a _lot_."

"Tell you what," Kouga said, smirking. "If you mark her _right now_, I'll give you my jewel shards and leave you alone for good. But if you chicken out, I'm gonna take her and make sure you never touch her again."

Inuyasha turned slightly pink, but glared over at his arch-rival. "You've got yourself a deal, punk. But if this hurts the pup, I'm gonna hunt you down and kill you personally."

"Deal," Kouga said sweetly. "But it's gotta work, and I've gotta see it work."

Inuyasha's blush darkened. "Sango, Miroku, take Shippou and Kirara somewhere for a while."

Sango pulled Miroku to his feet and grabbed Shippou, and moments later the four were out of hearing range. Inuyasha took her hand and walked determinedly to her sleeping bag.

"Wait ... wait just a minute, let me get this straight," she said, and he stopped and looked at her. "We ... we're going to have sex while Kouga watches, just so that he knows I belong to you?"

"And I have to bite you," Inuyasha said. "But come on, just think of everything we'll get out of it!"

"I guess so ... but ... where do you have to bite me?"

"Anywhere will do, really," he said, pulling her close. "It's really only the change in smell that matters, but it can be somewhere visible if you want." He nuzzled her neck gently.

"I ... uh ..." she said. It was getting hard to think, and she had nearly forgotten Kouga was there. "Wh ... what does it look like?"

"That depends," Inuyasha said huskily. "Get in the sleeping bag."

"Hey!" Kouga said. "That wasn't part of the deal!"

"You'll see me when I bite her," he said distractedly, untying his pants. "It's not like you won't know what's happening."

"Depends on what?" Kagome asked, lying down carefully.

"My youki," he said. He pulled off his clothes and joined her on the ground, pulling the sleeping bag closed before kissing her passionately.

Kouga leaned against a tree and watched them intently from a modest distance as Inuyasha gently removed Kagome's clothes and set them on the ground next to the bag. As much as he disliked Inuyasha, he had to admit that he treated Kagome very well, and was obviously pleasuring her a lot. Her eyes were closed and she held him tightly as he began to move, and she moaned just loud enough for him to hear when Inuyasha mounted her.

He almost felt embarrassed to watch them as they continued, their passion and intensity growing rapidly, until suddenly, just before her climax, Inuyasha leaned into her neck and bit down with his sharp canines. She cried out, but it was not simply from pain. He had marked her at exactly the right moment, the height of both of their arousals.

Inuyasha gave one final grunting thrust, then visibly relaxed and began licking the blood from Kagome's skin. "Hush," he whispered as she trembled beneath him. "That's all we have to do. You're fine." He took the sleeve of his haori and pressed it to the wound so that he could look into her face. Her eyes were still closed tightly, and he stroked her cheek. "It's okay. Come on, you can open your eyes now."

She looked slowly up at him. "You weren't kidding when you said it hurt."

He smiled gently. "Why would I lie to you?" He pulled the fabric back and examined her flesh. "It's done bleeding now. In a few minutes the mark should be visible." He lifted himself off of her and handed her pieces of clothing as she dressed under him, and as soon as she was finished he stood up and pulled his own clothes back on.

Kouga shook off his embarrassment and strode to where Kagome was standing, touching the swollen area on her neck. "What does it look like?" she asked.

"Just red," he answered, fishing grudgingly in his arm for the jewel shard. He plucked it out with his claws, but then almost put it back when the blood flow did not stop instantly. He pressed his palm on the wound, and in a few moments it had clotted.

"The mark itself won't appear until the bruise goes away," Inuyasha explained as he tied Tetsusaiga to his hip. "If you were _youkai_ we would know in a couple of hours, but since you're human it could be a couple of days." He quirked an eyebrow at Kouga, who was busy digging the other two shards out of his shins. "But the change in scent is immediate. Now anyone with half a nose knows you're spoken for."

"What about you?" Kagome asked. "Does the marking thing go both ways? Can I mark you?"

He moved to her side and kissed the bruise. "Theoretically, yes. But I don't think your teeth could puncture my skin." She frowned a little and gazed up at him.

"That doesn't mean much," Kouga said, standing up. "Your scent changes a little after you've _given_ a mating mark, Inuyasha, not just received one. It's not as pronounced on you as on her, but I can smell it. Faint but unmistakable."

"Do you think I could smell it?" Kagome asked eagerly.

Both men shook their heads, and Inuyasha tapped her nose. "Human senses. Trust me, your nose is for shit."

"But no self-respecting _youkai_ bitch would touch him now," Kouga said, and held his hand out to her. "Here's the shards. A deal is a deal."

Kagome took them gently and put them in her vial. "Arigatou gozaimasu, Kouga-kun." She looked at Inuyasha. "Will you go get Sango-chan and the others?"

He nodded, and took a gentle sniff of her as he walked past. Then, confident that the change was unmistakable, he hurried into the forest to find his friends.

Kagome sat carefully on her sleeping bag and looked up at the wolf _youkai_ standing over her. "Have a seat," she invited. "I'd like to talk to you."

"I promised I would leave you alone," he said.

"Sit down anyways. I don't think Inuyasha cares that much anyways, and I know I don't."

He lowered himself to the ground and looked at her. "What do you want to talk about?"

"I was just wondering what possessed you to offer us that deal. You don't get anything out of it except a little voyeurism."

He hung his head. "Truth be told, that wasn't my original intent. I sought you out just to give you my shards - the mating mark thing was kind of an afterthought."

"Wait, you wanted to _give_ us the shards? That's not at all like you."

"I know. Thing is, though, the jewel was attracting a lot of unwanted attention to me, and to the tribe. We suffered a lot of attacks by very powerful _youkai_, which we only barely one. Many good fighters were lost defending me, to the point where over half the pack was wiped out. I decided after the last attack that it wasn't worth keeping them. I couldn't stand to have any more killed just to make me a little stronger and faster."

Kagome reached out and touched his hand, and his startling blue eyes locked on her. She smiled. "That's very honorable. And ... I know you promised you'd leave us alone for good, but I want you to know that I'll always welcome you if you decide to come see us."

Kouga smiled a little bit and stood up. "Thank you. I don't know if I will, but I appreciate the thought. As it is, I'll have a lot to keep me busy rebuilding my tribe." He looked up at the twilight. "I need to get back to them."

Kagome stood up. "Good luck with everything."

"And to you. Sayonara." He ran into the woods in the direction from whence he had come.

"Ja mata," she called after him, and he raised one hand to her just before he disappeared into the trees.

--&&---

"But why do we have to go?" whined Shippou loudly from under Miroku's arm, and the monk hiked him up higher on his hip. They'd been walking for several minutes, and the kitsune hadn't stopped complaining the whole time.

"Kagome and Inuyasha needed to be alone with Kouga for a little bit," Sango explained for the umpteenth time, walking briskly ahead with Kirara at her heels.

"But he just wants to take Kagome away again and get our shards! What if he attacks them and Inuyasha can't fend him off? They need us!"

"They will be _fine_!" Miroku insisted. "They're perfectly capable of taking care of each other."

"What is going _on_ here?" Shippou cried. "Everybody's suddenly acting like Inuyasha and Kagome are married or something. It's really weird! Something is going on and nobody told me anything!"

Miroku looked at Sango, and she met his gaze. No one had told Shippou anything yet, thinking he was still rather young to be aware of big, exciting events so far in advance. Especially since the full story would involve explaining the birds and the bees to him. They figured that could wait until it was obvious that Kagome was pregnant.

"This is far enough," Sango announced. She sat down at the base of a tree and beckoned the kitsune to come sit on her lap. "Shippou, the reason we're all acting like that is because they _are_ getting married, in a couple of months."

"What! Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"We didn't want you to get too excited," Miroku said, kneeling beside them. "They don't want it to be a big deal."

"Okay," Shippou conceded. "But that doesn't explain why Kagome and Inuyasha keep going to Kagome's time. I mean, it's normal for Kagome to go, but why does Inuyasha go with her? He's all super-protective suddenly."

Sango sighed and Miroku nodded. "The reason Inuyasha is so obsessed with Kagome-chan's safety is because she is going to have a baby."

Shippou's small mouth dropped open. "No way. They're gonna have a pup?"

"It's true," Miroku said. "The child should be born about mid-winter."

"That's so cool!" he said, clapping his little paws. "It's like I'm gonna have a little brother!"

"Or sister," Sango said, relaxing with a smile. "It might be a girl."

At that moment a muted cry came from the direction of the clearing and Shippou jumped to his feet. "Oh no! That was Kagome, and she sounds hurt!" He started to run back, then stopped and looked back. "What are you guys waiting for?! Come on!"

"It's _fine_, Shippou!" Miroku said. "They're perfectly okay, they don't need help!"

"You're crazy. I'm going, whether you're coming or not!" He started off again, and Sango started to get up.

"Don't," Miroku said, putting out a hand to stop her. "He'll be fine once he sees that Kouga's not anywhere near her."

She froze and looked down. What he had assumed in his haste to be her arm was actually a different body part, and he immediately let go. "Gomen nasai." He closed his eyes, preparing for the slap.

It didn't come.

He looked up and saw her laughing gently at him. "What?"

"You're so cute, Miroku-chan."

He couldn't help but smile. Not only had she not hit him, but she had used his name _and_ an affectionate honorific! "Arigatou, kirei na on'na," he said, bowing.

She blushed. "I never knew you were such a gentleman."

"Only for the women I really like." He grinned. "And by that I mean you, of course. Sango-chan."

Her hand settled gently on his leg, but he picked it up and stared into her deep brown eyes. "I tried to ask you this before and you cut me off. And ... well, we were kind of playing around then, but this time you have to know I'm really serious."

Sango's mouth suddenly went dry and her heart fluttered against her ribs like a caged bird. Though she had been attracted to the young monk from the moment she met him, she had soon dismissed him as a lost cause - no one that wonderful could be interested in _her_. Add that to his incessant flirting with every woman he met, and you got a man who wasn't to be bothered with. But recently she had noticed that the wasn't hitting on other girls at all - and he _had_ kissed her on the cheek that one time. At the time she had dismissed it as a gesture meant to comfort her, but ... could it really have meant something more?

He took her other hand and held them together in his. "Sango, I love you. Will you be my wife?"

She stared at him for a long moment, frozen, unable to speak. She'd thought it would be the "bear my child" speech that he usually gave, but ... "be my wife"? His obviously took his profession of love quite seriously if he would follow it immediately by an actual marriage proposal! She rose quietly to her knees and, freeing her hands, placed a long, full kiss on his lips.

Miroku couldn't believe his fortune. She wanted him as badly as he wanted her! Without even a thought he wrapped his arms around her body and deepened the kiss, opening his mouth slightly and tickling her lips with his tongue until they parted. He tasted her hungrily, relishing in the explosion of passion that they had been denying each other for so long.

He pulled her to the side and onto the ground, and settled on top of her lithe body. Her legs relaxed and parted, and he fell easily between them, grinding his hardening manhood against her pelvis.

The unfamiliar sensation of lust filled her body. She had never even been kissed before, and this passion was almost more than she could bear.

Miroku pushed against her, and she moaned in pleasure. _Almost_. It was quite a rush, though, going from innocent to as good as married in only minutes. She bucked against his body, needing to feel more of him.

Miroku broke the kiss and desperately pulled at her kimono, dragging it from her shoulders and exposing her full breasts. He took one nipple in his mouth and began sucking gently, tickling the point with his tongue. Sango ran her fingers through his thick hair in ecstacy when he moved lower along her body, pulling clothing off as he went, until he reached her dark curls.

He looked up at her mischievously. "Want to go on?"

"Gods, yes!" She reached up and pulled him back down on top of her as he hurriedly opened his robes. She untied his under-hakama as he opened the last of her clothing, and then came down fast, pressing hotly against her bare flesh for a moment before he lifted off slightly, then finally slid his throbbing shaft into her wet opening.

"What the _fuck_?"

Both lovers cried out in shock as they looked over and saw Inuyasha staring horrified at them from several meters away.

"Okay, never mind," he said, turning his back. "I just came to tell you that me and Kagome are done. But if you're not, I'll just go back and we won't wait up for you." He stepped off into the trees. "Fucking perv."

"Matte, Inuyasha!" called Miroku, and the boy stopped but did not turn around. "Please ... don't tell Kagome what you saw."

"What am I _supposed_ to say?" he demanded, still not looking. "That I couldn't find you or something?"

"Er ... well ..." Miroku didn't know what to say. He desperately wanted to make love to Sango, and he knew that she wanted him just as badly, but he didn't want Kagome or the others to know about this. It would be too embarrassing. Aw, screw it! He was going soft while he sat here deliberating, and he knew Sango wasn't getting more aroused either. "Never mind. Tell them whatever. We'll be back soon enough."

Inuyasha shrugged his shoulders and walked away again. "Suit yourselves."

Miroku sighed and looked back down at Sango. Her brown eyes were wide and watching, and slightly afraid. He kissed her gently. "I love you." He squeezed her breasts with both hands.

She smiled, then reached down and began massaging his growing organ. "Let's do it."

"As if I needed an invitation!" he moaned, and moments later Kagome knew what had happened, even before Inuyasha returned.

Language notes:

_Inu-koru_: "Dog turd" - Kouga's "affectionate" nickname for Inuyasha.

_Baka_: Idiot.

_Hentai_: Literally "porn." It's what Sango says when Miroku is being lecherous.

_Youki_: translated in the show as demonic wind - it is derived from _youkai_, meaning "demon," and _ki_, meaning strength or power.

_Arigatou gozaimasu_: Thank you very much.

_Ja mata_: Goodbye (informal).

_Gomen nasai_: I'm sorry.

_Arigatou, kirei na on'na_: Thank you, pretty lady.

_Matte_: Wait.


	9. Prom

Hitori ni Sasenai

by Lady Mac

A/N: Chapter Nine time!! Wooh!! It took me a long time to write this, and this is actually only the first half (or so) of what i had planned as chapter nine. But it was going on so long I decided to cut it in half and give you this right away. So without further ado - "Prom"!

Disclaimer: I really, truly don't own any of these characters. Please, Takahashi-sama, don't sue me! I only have a hundred dollars, and that's my birthday money from my great-aunt! (I'm eighteen now! Yay!)

Chapter Nine

Prom

Kagome burst through the door of her home after school on a warm spring afternoon. "Inuyasha!"

His voice was muffled by the floor. "What-a?"

She ran up the stairs and right into him as he was coming down the hall. He grabbed her quickly, but she was so excited she quickly broke free. "They're having a ball! A western formal dance!"

"A what? What are you talking about?"

"Here, come here, let me show you this!" She hurried into her room and dug through her backpack.

Inuyasha shuffled after her. He had actually been _sleeping_ until she got home and woke him up. Honestly, he didn't know how she did it. He was always worrying about her when he was awake, and he couldn't sleep at night because she was too restless. He plopped down on her bed and she looked at him and giggled. "What's so funny?" he demanded.

"Have you seen yourself recently?" she asked.

He was wearing only his red pants and enchanted necklace, and his hair was ruffled to nearly stand on end on one side. _I probably have a pillow mark on my cheek, too_, he thought. "Who cares?" he said. "What's this dance thing?"

"Here!" She held out a sheet of paper, which he took and studied carefully. "It's like a thing they do in America called Prom. What we do is we get all dressed up in western formal clothes, and they rent out a hotel lobby or something. They play all sorts of music and you can dance and hang out with people and stuff. It's supposed to be a lot of fun!"

He yawned and handed it back. "And?"

"I want you to go with me!"

"Me? Why do _I _have to go?"

She rolled her eyes. "As if I was going to go alone! You're supposed to go with a date."

He sighed and leaned back into her pillows. "Can't you go with someone from your school? I don't know anyone. I wouldn't fit in."

"Inuyasha." She sat on the edge of the bed and he looked up at her. "We're _engaged_. How could I possibly go to a dance with another boy?"

He sighed again.

"Come on." She stroked his hair. "Besides, Houjou will be there. I've turned him down so many times, he really wants to meet you."

He looked up at her. "Fine. But I don't want to."

She leaned over and gave him a huge kiss. "Thank you."

-----#&#-----

As the weeks passed and the "Prom" grew nearer, Inuyasha noticed a decided change come over Kagome. She would spend long hours in her time shopping with her friends Yuka, Eri, and Ayumi, and was always doodling or playing with her hair in the mirror. All Inuyasha could do was sigh and roll his eyes - until, a week before the big day, she pulled him through the well, plunked a hat over his ears, tossed him a t-shirt and sandals, and dragged him to a formalwear shop. He grumbled under his breath the entire time, but eventually Kagome and the clerk chose out a tuxedo to rent.

"Now, you know, Inuyasha, this is _really_ expensive, so you have to be on your absolute _best_ behavior when you wear it," Kagome said on the subway while Inuyasha was carefully holding it off the floor.

"What? What are you talking about?"

"I mean be gentle! No fights, no crazy running around, nothing that could possibly get it dirty or tear it."

He rolled his eyes. "Fine. I don't know how you ever got me to agree to this, though."

She looked up at him and noticed the twinkle in his golden eyes. He ootched closer, towering over her seat as if he was protecting her from the other passengers on the train. "Thank you," she whispered, touching his hand.

He said nothing, but smiled gently at her.

-----#&#-----

Inuyasha slept in on the morning of August ninth, and when he finally woke up the sun was high and he was alone in Kagome's bed. He rolled stiffly onto his back and stared at the ceiling. Was this what married life would be like? Spending almost every moment with her, and when she wasn't there, constantly thinking of her? Not worrying about Naraku, or the jewel, or an attack? He stretched and put his hands behind his head, remembering the night before. They had made love for the first time in several weeks, and he knew it would only be a matter of a month or two more before he would have to wait until their baby was born to have her again. But ... it wasn't really that bad, he decided. She had told him she was willing to help him when he needed it, but he didn't really think it would be a frequent occurrence.

This whole fatherhood thing was really changing him, he realized. And it wasn't just the added responsibilities of taking special care of Kagome's health and safety and building their house and planning the wedding. It was more just the idea of finally settling down with Kagome, the mere _idea_ of this life they had inadvertently created. He smiled to himself. About a week ago Kagome had eagerly showed him where her belly was just beginning to protrude, a clear sign that the pup inside was growing steadily. Every night when he held her he tried to feel the difference from the night before, but it was too subtle. He could tell that she was larger than before, though, and the skin was beginning to grow taut.

_Wow,_ he thought. _Is this really what life is going to be like for us? This is amazing_.

The door clicked slightly as it opened, and he glanced down his nose to see who it was.

"Still in bed, sleeping beauty?" Kagome said softly, walking over and sitting by his knees.

He rubbed his eyes and grinned at her. "How long have you been up?"

"Long enough to get stuff done!" she laughed. "I've already taken a bath, eaten, and started on my hair." She pointed at her head, which was covered with hair-wrapped cylinders.

He sat up and examined her head closely. "What _are_ those things?"

"Curlers," she said, standing up to remove them from his reach. "Don't touch them! They have to stay in for, like, five hours. But my hair will look amazing when it's done."

"Whatever." He stood up and stretched.

"Here."

A pair of sweat pants hit him in the stomach. "What's this?"

She grinned. "You'd better put some pants on before you come down for breakfast, Romeo."

"Romeo? Who the hell is Romeo?"

-----#&#-----

"Kagome, I'm hungry! When are we gonna go eat?"

"Soon enough!" she called back from behind her closed bedroom door. "I'm almost dressed! _Then_ we can go eat."

"Keh!" He slumped against the wall and stared at the door. _He_ was already dressed, and he was even wearing the shoes she had gotten him. _Shoes_! Of all things! And now it took her forty-five minutes just to put on a dress? It was ridiculous!

"Okay, you can come in now!"

He turned the knob and entered the room, and was immediately floored by the exquisite beauty that greeted his eyes. Forty-five minutes suddenly didn't seem so ridiculously long.

"Do you like it?" she asked, twirling in a small circle.

All he could do was grin at her as he continued to study her outfit. The dress she wore was powder-blue and strapless, falling in a light chiffon cascade from just below her breasts to only centimeters from the floor. The top created the illusion of a twist, and went around to the back where it fell in two gossamer trails to the floor. About her neck she wore the pieces of the Shikon no Tama that they had collected on a matching blue ribbon, and she had arranged it so that only the smooth side of the jewel was visible.

He raised his gaze further, to the masses of black curls that adorned her head. She had somehow managed to lift all of it off her neck, elongating it and making her tall and elegant, while several twisting strands fell gently, framing her face. She had also incorporated seeming hundreds of tiny blue flowers that were placed here and there to break up her raven-colored tresses. Additionally, her face now more than ever seemed radiant with color and perfection. Her eyes and lips were defined in charcoal black and perfect pink, and the rest of her exposed skin shimmered with an enchanting ivory luster.

Inuyasha walked slowly to her and took her in his arms, and she wrapped hers around his neck. He buried his face in her shoulder and inhaled deeply. She smelled slightly of chemicals, but her own scent came through strongly. "My Kagome," he breathed, then suddenly remembered their mating mark.

He pulled back and examined her neck, but all signs of redness were long gone, and no mark was in their place. "What?? What happened?"

She smiled. "You mean this?" She looked down, and he followed her gaze to the spot just above her heart. "I've only just noticed it starting to come through," she said. "But I can tell what it is."

He grinned. His name, written in beautiful kanji, was beginning to form its pink characters on her skin. "That's neat," he said, in awe of this unusual transformation. "I've never seen it happen like that."

She smiled. "Really? We must be special, then. I've noticed one starting to form on you, but I didn't say anything."

"On me? Where?"

"Here." She placed her hand just above his heart, on the only scar on his otherwise perfect body. The scar that Kikyou had given him fifty years previously with her enchanted arrow.

"Wh - what does it say?" he breathed, almost afraid to ask.

Her lips curved gently. "Ka-go-me," she enunciated, just as she had three years ago. "Kikyou ja nai."

"Don't I know it," he said, stroking her cheek. "No way that old clay pot would ever be _half_ as good in bed as you are."

"Shhh!" she hissed, but she was smiling. "Souta might be around."

"Oh, you've gotta be joking," he groaned.

"He doesn't know all that yet," she said, then took his arm. "Shall we go to dinner?"

Just a note or two here: What Kagome says at the end here is the same (or as close to it as i can approximate) as what she says in Ep. 1 when Inu mistakes her for Kikyou at the _very, very beginning_. Hope you like that. And chapter ten should be up in just a few days, I'm almost done with it. By the way, did you like the little MxS bit in ch. 8? I'm hopefully gonna do a lot more with them - maybe even a spinoff. _That_ would be cool. Also: those of you who don't mind the IxM pairing, have you read _Event Horizon_? Please do, I haven't gotten much feedback. You can link to it from my author page. THANKS!!!


	10. Last Dance

Hitori ni Sasenai

by Lady Mac

A/N: Okay! I've finally decided _where_ in the general canon this fits. It is immediately following the events of the first movie (_Toki wo Koeru Omoi_, a.k.a. _Affections Touching Across Time_), but it assumes that each season is about a year and there has been almost another year in which no major plot developments have occurred. This way, Kagome is almost eighteen at the start of the story and by now (chapter ten) she has become a legal adult (by American standards, anyhow) and is nearing her high school graduation. Okay, fine, so maybe the math doesn't work out perfectly. I don't really care. I do this to _avoid_ my AP Calc homework. I mean, derivatives are kind of fun, but forget addition and subtraction. Who needs it? THIS IS ROMANTIC FLUFF!

I think I'll get down off my soapbox now and let you read the story.

Disclaimer: Blah blah Inuyasha blah blah blah blah Inuyasha blah blah. (Thanks to Gary Larson and _The Far Side_ for that one.)

Chapter Ten

Last Dance

They ate at an expensive French restaurant in downtown Tokyo, which Inuyasha found to be a rather humbling experience. The waiter eventually had to bring him a pair of chopsticks, since he was finding it so difficult to use a fork and knife.

After that, though, the evening went smoothly. They arrived at the hotel slightly early, and all of Kagome's friends and classmates were eagerly introduced to her new fiancee, whom many of them had never even been told of. As promised, Inuyasha was on his very best behavior and was just about as congenial as anyone Kagome had ever met. He stuck rigidly to the stories Kagome had outlined for him about their "past," and no one could have guessed that both of them were bluffing.

As the evening wore on, more and more people showed up and the music grew steadily louder. Inuyasha began pressing his ears against his head when they went too close to the dance floor, and finally pulled her outside into the courtyard and started running with her down the path.

"Inuyasha! What are you doing?"

"Just come with me!" he grinned, pulling her behind him.

They stopped in the middle of the garden, at a spot secluded from the crowd between an apple tree and a fountain.

"How did you know this was here?" she asked, out of breath from the sudden sprint.

"I didn't," he said, grinning. "I just wanted to get away from all that racket so I could be with you." She smiled, and he placed his hands on the gentle swell of her belly. "Mm," he sighed.

Kagome placed one hand on his arm and stroked his cheek with the other. She gazed into his golden eyes, and he leaned down slowly and kissed her with a tenderness she seldom felt.

As he caressed her, she became aware of a presence near them. She broke the kiss and turned.

Houjou gasped and started. "Gomen nasai!" he cried hastily. "I - I'd just got here, I didn't mean to watch. I'm so sorry, I-"

"Houjou, it's all right," she said gently.

"I - I just wanted to talk to you ... alone ... for a minute."

"Oh. Okay." She turned to the silver-haired young man beside her. "Just stay here. We'll only be a minute, I promise."

"Stay where I can see you," he warned, fixing the brown-haired boy with a death glare.

He nodded fearfully, and Kagome laughed. "He won't hurt me, silly, and you'll be able to see us." She knew he would also be able to hear every word, but at least Houjou would feel they had _some_ privacy. He took her elbow and guided her several paces down the path and invited her to sit on a stone bench. She accepted, lowering herself carefully to prevent her dress from creasing around her belly.

"Well," he said, sitting beside her but leaving several centimeters between them. "You ... you're looking very well."

"Thank you," she said, blushing and thinking of how little he really knew. "You look well, too."

"I ... I suppose he's the boyfriend, then," Houjou said, glancing at the boy who was watching them intently.

"More than that, actually," she said. "He ... he's my fiancee."

Inuyasha's ears perked up, and Houjou's breath caught in his throat. "You ... you mean you're engaged?"

She nodded, and watched as he glanced nervously at Inuyasha. "He's a wonderful man. Don't worry - he would never do anything to hurt me."

"But .. he .. his ears..."

"It's ... a family trait," she said, trying hard not to lie or give too much away.

He looked back at her and smiled a little. "So I guess when you guys have kids, they'll ... look like him, too?"

At the mention of her baby, Kagome's hand went instinctively to her belly, and Houjou gasped. "Kagome! You ... you aren't already..!"

"Keep it down!" she hissed, kicking herself mentally. "But yes, it ... it's true."

His mouth moved slowly. "H ... how long has ... has it been?"

"I'm just into the third month," she answered. "I'm due in early February."

"When ... when are you getting married?"

"Two weeks," she said. "It's going to be a very small ceremony at the shrine; just family."

"Yours and his?"

She stopped for a moment, then decided the truth was easy enough to pass off. "Just mine," she said, hoping he hadn't noticed her pause. "His parents both passed away, and his half-brother can't get away."

"He lives on his own then? Kagome, how old _is_ he? He only looks eighteen or so."

He had caught her off-guard. What was she supposed to say? She didn't want to lie, but there was no way of simply _bending_ the truth.

She caved. "Houjou, he ... he's seventy. Or ... like, five hundred."

He stared blankly at her. "What _are_ you talking about?"

"I'm serious, Houjou, listen to me. You're not going to believe it, but it's true and you can't tell _anyone_."

He nodded, stunned. "O ... okay."

"He was born about the year 1500, in the Sengoku Jidai. His father was an inu-youkai and his mother was human. When he was about seventeen, he was imprisoned in a spell for fifty years." She took a deep breath. "I am the reincarnation of the priestess who trapped him, and I fell through the dry well at the shrine and into the past where I accidentally freed him from the spell. Then all this stuff happened with the Shikon no Tama, and for three years now I've been going to the past to find all the pieces of it before youkai can use them to become super-powerful."

"...and?" he said, barely believing it.

"There's only a bit left to find," she said, fingering the large piece that hung around her neck. "A demon named Naraku has about half of it, and we have the other half. See? But we think there's still a little bit more that neither of us has. We just have to find it, then get Naraku's piece."

He stared at her. "And ... and this is all true?"

"Every word," said Inuyasha, suddenly right there. "I'm a seventy-year-old hanyou from half a century ago who's going to be a father in six months." He sat beside Kagome on the bench, and looked across her to Houjou. "And I'm nervous as hell already without all this other shit going on." He put his arms protectively around Kagome and laid his ears back against his head.

"It's okay," she said, stroking his hair as he nuzzled her neck.

"Why did you tell him all that?" he whined. "Our life is complicated enough already."

"I couldn't lie." She looked at Houjou. "You've always been so good to me. It's the least I could do. I just ... I'm sorry it couldn't work between us."

"Why is everyone always after _my_ bitch?" Inuyasha groused, snuggling further into her.

She rolled her eyes. "Inuyasha, if you weren't so clingy I'd 's' you right now for being so anal.

He squeezed her tightly. "Keh."

"So .. uh, where are you going to live?" Houjou ventured.

"In the Sengoku Jidai," she said. "Inuyasha's building us a nice house in the village, and it should be ready to live in by the time the wedding gets here."

"He's building it _himself_?" he asked, amazed.

She nodded. "For the most part. Some of the village men are helping out a little, but he designed it himself and for the most part it's been a solo project."

"That's amazing!"

"One of the many benefits of having youkai blood," Inuyasha boasted. "Of course, it's not just the blood. I've beaten more full youkai than you can shake a stick at."

"Or a legendary, super-powerful sword," Kagome quipped.

He growled softly. "That's a bonus. And besides, you _know_ I've got more stamina and strength than any mortal man," he said suggestively.

"Inuyasha!"

"Oh, come on!" He rolled his eyes. "You're _pregnant_! Obviously he knows we've-"

"That's no reason to talk about it!"

Houjou turned bright red, but it went unnoticed by the quibbling couple.

"You talked to your girlfriends about it," he said matter-of-factly.

It was Kagome's turn to blush then. "Well .. but ... but you weren't _right there_ when I told them."

Inuyasha glanced at Houjou, and the two suddenly burst into laughter. "Women!" Inuyasha howled. "I swear, I'll _never_ understand them!"

"Me neither!" Houjou chortled. "All their ... reverse logic!"

"Reverse logic!" Inuyasha doubled over, cackling wildly.

Kagome decided she resented the joke. "Osuwari."

The necklace glowed pink and the dog-eared boy hit the gravel with a _crunch_.

He pried himself up. "Fuck, wench! What was that for?!?"

She gave him an evil glare. "Osuwari."

"AAaugh!"

"That's for being so insensitive."

He grumbled something into the ground.

Her eyes narrowed again. "Osu-"

"No!" He jumped up and kissed her hard, effectively stifling the rest of the incantation. His tongue pushed roughly through her lips, and she moaned into his mouth before she pulled back.

"...wari," she breathed.

He sat down on his heels on the ground in front of her. "I have a present for you," he announced, grinning and ignoring Houjou's stunned silence. He fished inside his tux jacket, and pulled out a small black box. "We're gonna have a wedding soon, and it occurred to me that we never officially got engaged, so ... I got you this." He shook it slightly, as if to call attention to it. "Now, I asked your mom about marriage customs, and she said the man gives the woman a diamond ring when he proposes, and then they exchange gold bands at the wedding. But ... I just didn't like that idea a whole lot. The diamond, I mean. It's all cold and hard and what not. And ... well, I just couldn't afford one. None of_ your_ money, you know." He turned the box over nervously. "But I _did_ have this. My father gave it to my mother when I was born, and she gave it to me to give to _my_ wife, so all I had to do was have it set for you." He watched her carefully, then opened the box.

Kagome's breath caught in her throat as she stared down at the pearl engagement ring he held before her. "Oh ... Inuyasha, it's beautiful!" The pearl itself was almost perfectly spherical and quite large by natural standards - she guessed it was almost a centimeter across - and it was the most radiant shade of pale pink she had ever seen - as if the Shikon no Tama had come from an oyster instead of a miko and a youkai. It was set in a delicate silver band, and the entire ensemble shone gently from its black velvet resting place that was embossed in the lid with the Mikimoto logo.

"Now, you know _I_ would never wear something like this. But _you_, koishii ..." He slid the ring slowly onto her finger. "You're not a reckless animal like me. You're gentle and feminine and beautiful and I want you to be able to have everything you want."

Tears filled her eyes. "Oh, Inuyasha, you didn't have to do all this for me! All I want is just to have you with me."

"I need you to have this, though," he said. "To remind you of me when I'm not there, and to ... to remember _this_ life, in case ... in case in the future, we can't come back here."

"If the well closes." Kagome looked at the ring and sighed. "Oh, but it's so beautiful." She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close.

"I love you," he purred, pressing himself between her legs.

She giggled and put her hands on his chest, keeping him back. "Keep your pants on," she teased. "Houjou's still here."

He snorted, but smiled a little at the other boy.

"Well, Kagome," Houjou said, "I guess you'll be leaving after you have the baby."

"That's the plan," she said.

He looked down at his hands. "Then ... I won't see you after that."

She nodded, suddenly feeling choked-up. "Yeah."

He struggled for a moment, then looked up at her. "May I have this dance?"

She smiled, then glanced at Inuyasha for confirmation. "A goodbye dance," she explained. "A slow song. You can watch."

He smiled at her, then stood up and allowed Houjou to escort Kagome back inside for their last dance.


	11. Oniisan

Hitori ni Sasenai

by Lady Mac

A/N: Sorry this is sort of a short chapter, but I don't write action scenes. If I went on from here, it would be rather longer and I'd take a really long time getting it posted.

Thanks to all my reviewers - I love hearing from you! Especially those of you who write longer reviews and talk about specifics, then it makes me feel good about the choices I've made.

And another apology: I probably won't post anything for a while, now. It's hell week for _West Side Story_, which means I have rehearsal every night until like 11:00 (the bastards!), and then four shows on the weekend, combined with State for the one-act play festival. So I'll be stressing about trying to learn my parts for pit orchestra ("Mambo" is the spawn of Satan, I swear to God) in the last three days now, and keeping the play together AND working out our director's gift. And I have an _enormous_ project to work on that's due at the start of December, and Thanksgiving's in the middle and seven people are coming from out of town. Add that to the normal stresses of my life, and I'll be lucky if I don't murder someone by Christmas. Leonard Bernstein hates clarinets, that's the only explanation.

Ooh, ooh, ooh! Speaking of _West Side Story_, Del Kaidin wrote a prequel to "Broadway Baby"! It's called "One Hand, One Heart" and it's on MediaMiner. I would give you a link but I don't have one. She's also writing a sequel, "Broadway Bound," which is (of yet) incomplete but TOTALLY AWESOME! Wooh! Be aware, though, it's rated NC-17. I do love it, though! Illustrations for "Bwy Baby" and "Bwy Bound" are also available at kristinsstudio dot com. She is so amazing! I'm totally jealous. (OMG, Inu is too hot!) And for those of you who are of age (or can handle it), Del Kaidin also wrote a collection of short stories (forgot the title, also on MM), and one of them is called "Hard On." It is the funniest thing I've ever read! Go read it now, tell her how funny it is! (ROTFLMAO!) It's so great - Inu is just like a horny teenager!

Oh yeah - I also realized that I've been messing with the timeline quite a bit. I'm gonna put this here for now, and if i change my mind yell at me so I can change everything at once. So if Kagome's at three months on August 9, that means she conceived around the beginning of May or end of April (okay so far?) and is due end of January/beginning of February. Okay? Good.

A couple of language notes before we start: Onii-san big brother; onegai please; otouto little brother; gomen shortened form of "gomen nasai" (I'm sorry); oyaji rude/informal term for "father" or "dad".

Disclaimer: Aah! Don't tickle me! I don't own it! Uncle! Uncle! Uncle!

Chapter Eleven

Onii-san

It was a hot afternoon in early September. Inuyasha was on the roof of his nearly-completed house, shirtless and busily thatching, when a voice from the ground startled him out of his trance.

"Inuyasha!"

He stopped working and peered over the edge at the glowing young woman below. "What?"

She grinned at his sweaty features. "Someone's got some news for you."

"Really?" He leapt nimbly to the ground. "Who? What is it?"

"He wouldn't tell me." She held out her hand, and a familiar dark speck alighted on his shoulder.

"Myouga-jiji! What brings you here?" Inuyasha took him in his hand and moved to sit in the shade of the structure, and Kagome followed.

"Well, it's like this," Myouga began. "I went to your brother to inform him of your upcoming marriage to Kagome."

"Aw, Myouga, why would you waste your time with _him_? He couldn't care less about me, or her."

The old flea scowled. "That's beside the point, Inuyasha-sama. You know your brother has been ruling the Western Lands well and fairly, but recently a multitude of lesser youkai have begun an uprising against him. They have taken many human lives, and Sesshoumaru-sama is having difficulty keeping them at bay." He took a deep breath while the girl and hanyou watched him. "He has hidden himself in his castle with the girl Rin, and has left that Jaken in charge of affairs outside." He sighed heavily. "Jaken told me this. Sesshoumaru-sama would not let anyone in or out, or even speak to me."

Inuyasha was stunned into silence for a moment. "Is ... is there anything I can do? I should go to him! Together we can stop the uprising. I mean, with Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga together, we can drive the youkai out and save anyone who was killed." He noticed Kagome looking at him strangely. "What?"

She smiled. "I never thought you cared so much about your brother."

He blushed. "I ... well ... he's a jerk, but he's family. And I wanna shove it in his face that I'm as good as he is." He stood up and Kagome followed. "I need you to stay here," he said softly, placing his hands on her waist.

She looked down and placed her hands on her belly. "Okay," she sighed.

"I'm not even kidding," he said earnestly. "I would hate myself if I let you get injured. And it's just too easy for something to happen to our baby." He ran a thumb down her jaw and she met his golden gaze. "I'll be okay, I promise. This is no big deal. You stay here and take care of yourself, and I'll be back as soon as I can."

She looked into his eyes for a long moment, then threw her arms around his neck. "Please be safe," she begged. "Onegai..."

He pulled her firmly into his body and almost had to fight back tears. "I will. I promise."

#-

Inuyasha reached the Western Lands two days later, and the scene was even worse than he had imagined. From several miles away he could begin to smell the stench of human blood mingled with a bit of youki. He tried to ignore the villages full of bodies that he passed, but it sent sharp pangs through his heart every time one of them would look at him as he bounded through.

Sesshoumaru's castle lay on the top of a bluff overlooking the ocean, and as he approached a small, greenish creature jumped out in front of him.

"Halt!" he cried in a gravelly voice. "None are allowed to enter the presence of Lord Sesshoumaru!"

Inuyasha frowned at the toad. "So bite me. I need to see my brother."

"I cannot allow that," Jaken said haughtily, brandishing his head staff. "Sesshoumaru-sama will allow no one in, not even this Jaken!"

"Maybe he just doesn't like you," the hanyou scowled, walking around him.

"N .. never! Sesshoumaru-sama would never-"

Inuyasha spun on the creature, suddenly drawing Tetsusaiga, which transformed obediently. "Listen, you. I'm gonna go in there, and I'm gonna talk to my brother. Now either you're gonna help me, or you're gonna get in the way. And I don't recommend getting in the way, because that doesn't have a happy ending." He looked at the creature trembling on the ground. "Well? Which one is it?"

"Ja-ja-ja- Jaken will assist you, my lord."

"Good." He shouldered the sword and stood up straight. "Now get me inside."

Jaken led him to the main door of the castle, and Inuyasha banged on it with Tetsusaiga's hilt. "Oi! Sesshoumaru! Lemme in!"

There was a long moment of silence, and then Inuyasha heard a soft voice within. "Sesshoumaru-sama won't let anyone in."

"Rin?" he said. "It's Inuyasha. You need to tell Sesshoumaru that I need to see him."

He heard small footsteps going into the distance, and after several minutes Rin was back. "He says you can't come in."

Inuyasha snorted. "Of course he does. Stand _way_ back from the door, Rin, I'm coming in." He heard her shuffle quickly, then ran Tetsusaiga swiftly through the door. He twisted and the wood splintered, until finally a chunk fell out. Replacing the sword in its sheath, he used his claws to tear a large enough hole to walk through. "Done and done." He stepped briskly through, and walked up to the girl. "Now, take me to my brother."

She bowed hastily, and rushed off with Inuyasha on her heels, and Jaken at a safe distance. They followed her through the building, until she finally slowed down at a large shoji door. "He's out there," she whispered, backing away. "Don't tell him I let you in."

"You didn't," Inuyasha said. "I let myself in. And thank you."

She bowed again and rushed away, with Jaken close behind her.

Inuyasha slid the door open and stepped out onto a large balcony overlooking the ocean. The wind was brisk and salty, and he saw Sesshoumaru sitting at the far end, his arm on a planter while his long hair and robes blew elegantly behind him as he stared into the distance. "Sesshoumaru."

Cold eyes regarded him briefly before looking away again. "Who let you in?"

"I let myself in, dumbass. No one else would. You've got them all wrapped around your little finger." He walked to the corner and stood a meter or so behind the sulking youkai.

"What do you want with me?" he snarled.

"I want you to drag yourself out of this 'oh, pity me' funk and go out there and do something about your problem."

"It's not that easy," he snapped. "They are too strong for me to completely defeat them and prevent the loss of human lives. I am safe, and those of my castle are safe. But the others ... I cannot help. The number of foes is too great."

"Keh! Since when are you such a wimp? It's like you haven't even tried!"

"I _have_ tried, it is in vain!"

"Then you didn't try _hard_ enough! I can't believe you're just giving up like this!"

"I already told you, it's not that simple." He turned and set his chin on his arm. "Go home. I have no need for you, or anyone else."

"You're being unreasonable."

"You don't understand, Inuyasha. I doubt you ever will."

The hanyou fumed at his brother's words. "I'm not just some punk kid anymore, you know. I have responsibilities now, too."

"Hmph," he snorted, rising and facing Inuyasha. "Responsibility? For finding the jewel your stupid human wench broke? For keeping her from being upset about your affair with that undead miko?"

Without thinking, Inuyasha reached out and hit his brother across the face. He felt his claws scrape the flesh, smelled the metallic scent of blood. "Show some respect for the dead," he growled. "And get used to Kagome. She's the reason I came to see your sorry ass."

Sesshoumaru raised his eyebrows. "Indeed? Did you offend her and need some help digging yourself out of a pit?" he sneered, carefully wiping the blood from his cheek.

"Kagome is _pregnant_!" Inuyasha exploded, and his half-brother was suddenly silent. "Yeah, that's right. I fucked a human. But you know what? _I love her_, and we're getting married, and our child is going to have a _family_, whether or not it has an Uncle Sess."

Sesshoumaru turned silently away and looked out over the sea, at the waves crashing below. He gripped the banister tightly, and his arm quivered a little.

"Dad always wanted us to get along."

The youkai's head dropped and his eyes closed in resignation. He sighed. "You are a man, then, otouto?"

"Feh. As a husband and father, I have to be."

"This is a big change for you."

"I know."

He paused. "It's a big change for me. Accepting humans as family."

"What about Rin?"

He turned suddenly, his bright golden eyes searching his brother's. "Rin is ... I don't know. Rin is Rin. A companion for Jaken."

"She's more than that," Inuyasha said quietly. "I can see it in you. When you look at her. You _care_. It's why Tenseiga accepts you."

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes. "You are overly bold, otouto."

"Gomen." He held his gaze for a long moment before he spoke. "I hear you have an insurrection on your hands."

Something almost like relief crossed the older man's face. "You can help me put it down."

Inuyasha grinned. "Let's go show these bastards that we're just as great as Oyaji was!"


	12. One Hand, One Heart

Hitori ni Sasenai

By Lady Mac

A/N: Okay, huge apologies. My old computer completely crashed, so I didn't have _anything_ for a week and a half. But we got a new PC, and I'm online again! Yayness! But you just want a story, so I"ll get off my soap box

Disclaimer: So not mine. Thanx.

Chapter Twelve

One Hand, One Heart

"_Kagome!_"

She jumped off the floor of the hut and rushed outside. She knew this voice. "Inuyasha!"

He ran to her and swept her up in his strong arms, swinging her around a little before setting her down again.

"I'm so happy to see you!" she gushed. "You've been gone for, like, a month!"

"It was only a week," he said, blushing slightly as a few heads poked out of huts to see what all the excitement was about.

"I know, but, oh! I've been just so excited about the wedding, and I missed you so much!"

He chuckled and kissed her on the forehead. "Well, we've still got two days, don't we?"

She smiled. "But there's a lot of work to be done. Come on." She took his hand as they walked together back to Kaede's hut. "So, how did things go with your brother?"

He grunted. "As well as I'd have expected. We got everything under control, but as soon as we were done the ungrateful bastard sends me away without so much as an 'arigatou'."

"That's rough."

"Tell me about it." He sighed. "But I guess there will be more chances."

#-

Inuyasha's hands were shaking as Miroku helped him into his new haori, the final layer of his elaborate wedding attire. "Finally," he groused as he shrugged it on, then tugged at it a little.

"Geez, will you stop fidgeting?" the monk said. "It's fine. Here, get your fan."

He took it and tucked it carefully into his obi, right next to Tetsusaiga. "How do I look?"

Miroku smirked. "Uncomfortable but attractive."

"That better not be a come-on."

"Oh, no, never," laughed the monk. "I wish I looked as good as this. Sango would totally go for it."

"You think Kagome will like it?" he asked, turning around and watching as the silk swished against itself.

"How could she not? You're, like, the ideal man in that." He nodded thoughtfully. "I am sure you will get _great_ sex tonight."

__

Bonk.

The hanyou's fist collided with the monk's skull. "What are you insinuating? I may look like the ideal man, but I'm still half demon. Kagome can't keep herself off of me, because sex with a hanyou is _always_ great sex."

"How could I forget," he said sarcastically.

"Inuyasha-sama!"

He spun around and looked at the boy in the doorway. "What is it?"

"There's a man here to see you, sir."

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. "A man, eh? We'll see what he wants." He pushed the reed door aside, and his face froze in astonishment. "O – Onii-san." He stepped slowly out of the hut.

"Inuyasha." The youkai spoke slowly and deliberately, watching his younger brother closely. For a long moment he was silent, and when he finally spoke, his tone was uncharacteristically gentle. "Arigatou gozaimasu, otouto. I and the peoples of the Western Lands are grateful for your kind assistance in putting down the rebellion."

"Dou itashimashite," he said politely, bowing low but watching Sesshoumaru the whole time.

The taiyoukai seemed almost to roll his eyes for a moment. "Rin and Jaken, there is no need to hide." Slowly, the girl poked out from behind her master's empty sleeve, and the toad-thing crept from behind his right leg. "Why are you afraid of my brother? Even he would not harm you needlessly."

"How comforting," Inuyasha snorted, folding his arms but smiling despite himself.

Sesshoumaru looked him over carefully, one slim eyebrow arched in surprise. "You're quite well-dressed today."

"Of course," he said, turning to go back into the hut. "It _is_ my wedding day, after all."

"Ah, then we weren't too late." He turned to the two small figures that clung to his legs. "Come, Rin, Jaken. We must go to the shrine before the ceremony starts."

-##-

Kagome fidgeted nervously with her sleeves as she stood waiting to enter the shrine grounds. Miroku was supposed to come walk her in as soon as Inuyasha was in place, but it seemed like ages since Sango had brought her here and then gone into the grounds to send Miroku out. An image of the two of them making out in front of everyone came to her, and she grinned. As if that would _ever_ happen. They were far too private about their relationship – they rarely ever even held hands, and most of the village had no idea they were a couple, though they had been engaged for several weeks.

"Kagome-sama?" Miroku rounded the corner. "Ready to go?"

She nodded. "Sou da ne! If I don't go now, I might chicken out."

He smiled as she took his arm. "It is an honor to stand in for your father."

"I'm honored to have a friend like you who would do it, houshi-sama."

The climbed the stairs and entered the shrine courtyard where a small crowd had gathered. Kagome would have been very surprised to see Sesshoumaru there, after Inuyasha's recollection of their encounter. But she didn't see him. She didn't see any of the other guests, either. Her complete attention was focused on the silver-haired vision of elegance that waited for her at the other end of the courtyard.

Inuyasha was dressed in blue and white silk, and his father's crest was patterned in silver on his haori. Underneath he wore a crisp white shirt and deep blue hakama pants, and his Tetsusaiga and ceremonial fan were tucked gently into a simple obi that matched perfectly with the rest of the outfit. She almost laughed when she realized he was still barefoot, but then she looked up at his face. His hair had been brushed until it shone brightly, then pulled back from his face with a strip of dark blue silk, leaving only his forelocks hanging around his face.

She stepped forward slowly, hardly believing that this distinguished gentleman was actually her charmingly rough Inuyasha. But then he smiled at her, and the toothy, lopsided grin was all his own.

Inuyasha himself was spellbound the moment Kagome appeared. She was shrouded in white – her kimono, her obi, her delicate veil. The only thing that was not white was the ceremonial fan in her obi – it was dark blue, matching his. Her jet-black hair stood out in sharp contrast to all this white, and her brown eyes looked up in wonder at him, though she kept her head respectfully bowed.

He barely listened as Kaede performed the ceremony, preferring to simply watch Kagome as she went through the motions with him. After what seemed like hours of repeating after the Miko, she finally pronounced them husband and wife.

Swiftly, urgently, Inuyasha pulled Kagome to him and planted a deep kiss on her rosy lips. The small gathering burst into applause as she kissed him back, reveling in the bliss they finally could feel.

He finally pulled away and gazed at her, delirious from joy. "We're actually married!" he whispered. "We're actually a family now!"

"I know," she said. "I can hardly believe it!"

He took her by the hand and they walked down the stairs and out of the shrine. Kagome looked back and smiled. "They're following us."

Inuyasha grinned. "Let's see 'em follow this!" He scooped her suddenly up in his arms and leapt into the air. She squealed as the air rushed past, and moments later they landed at the front door of their new house. "Come on!" he urged, sliding the door open.

She hurried in after him, and looked around in wonder at the beautiful room she was in. "Inuyasha! This is ... this is wonderful!"

"This is just the beginning," he said, pulling on her arm. "You've gotta see the bedroom."

She followed him through another shoji door off the main room, into a cozy chamber with a large, soft futon in the center. "It's lovely," she breathed.

"Not as lovely as you," he said, drawing her to him for another deep kiss. He purred as she rubbed his ears, and pushed her onto the bed.

"I - Inuyasha, wait." She crawled out from under him and stood up. "You're going to wrinkle the clothes. We need them nice for tomorrow, too."

He rolled his eyes. "Oh, so keeping the clothes nice is more important than consummating our marriage."

She unfastened her obi and removed it carefully. "_Yes_. And you can wait an extra two minutes."

He quickly shed his clothing, and by the time he had folded it - at Kagome's prodding - and set it in a neat pile, she was relaxing under the comforter. "Well?" she said, stretching and letting her hair pool around her head.

"Oh, you awful _tease_ ..." he moaned, and descended upon her with all the passion that had welled up inside him during the long day.

-##-

They reemerged an hour later for the party that Sango and Miroku had insisted on throwing in their honor. Kagome wore a pink and orange goldfish-print yukata, and Inuyasha ... well, she had tried to convince him to wear something nice, but ended up compromising and letting him wear his red pants and white shirt, though the fire-rat and Tetsusaiga stayed _inside_ the house.

"Kagome-chan!" Sango gushed, running to her and giving her a huge hug with Miroku close on her heels. "Congratulations!" She held her at arm's length. "Oh, you look so radiant and beautiful!"

Kagome smiled. "Had a little nap. That helps a lot."

Miroku laughed through his nose, and Inuyasha socked his shoulder, then pulled him aside while the girls kept talking. "Okay, bouzu. When are you and the taijiya gonna go public?"

Miroku sighed. "Kagome keeps asking us that, too."

"And? Are you scared or something?"

"No ... we just want to wait a little while. Let you guys have the spotlight for a bit."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and strolled back to his bride. He hugged her from behind, caressing her belly, and kissed her neck softly.

"Inu_yasha_," she protested, though she leaned into him. "Stop it."

He whimpered, but it turned into a breathless moan when she ground her rear into his crotch.

"I'm hungry," she quipped, ignoring his arousal and addressing Sango. "What are we going to have for dinner?"

"Lots," she said eagerly. "Kaede's baking fish, and ..."

-##-

When they finally got home, the crescent moon had long since set, and Kagome was so tired that she fell asleep almost immediately. Inuyasha followed shortly thereafter, and was awake and packed by the time she woke the next morning.

"Ohayou," he said, poking his head in the door. "Sleep well?"

She nodded, stretching. "Yeah. How about you? Did you sleep at all?"

"Of course I did. I'm not _that_ fabulous."

"You're _not_?" she said in mock horror, sitting up. "Why didn't you tell me _before_ I married you?"

"Har de har har. Why aren't you up yet? Your mom's expecting us."

"Chill out, I'm working on it." She stood slowly and walked to the shallow wardrobe in the wall, then leaned against it for a moment with her eyes closed.

"Kagome?" He rushed to her side. "Are you okay?"

"I ..." Her breathing was shallow and labored, and her skin was cold. "I think I need ... to sit down."

He helped her quickly to the floor, and laid her on her back. "Kagome, what's wrong?" This didn't look good.

"I'm just ... just feeling a little sick to my stomach. It'll pass."

"Morning sickness again? I thought you were over it."

"So did I." She breathed deeply for a few long minutes. "Being pregnant sure does feel strange."

"I suppose you'll get used to it."

Kagome smiled. "What's that supposed to mean?" She laughed a little as he kissed her forehead. "I think I can get up now."

"Here." He helped her to sit up, then slowly to her feet. "Feeling okay now?"

She touched the wall. "Yes. Thank you. I think maybe I stood up too fast, or something."

Inuyasha didn't believe her, but he said nothing and watched the opposite wall as she changed her clothes. It surprised him that even after all this she was still uncomfortable with him watching her, but he also knew that if he saw much of her right now they would be _very_ late to his in-laws'.


	13. Honeymoon

Hitori ni Sasenai

By Lady Mac

A/N: Quick re-post for ff(dot)net - I decided there was actually some plot development mixed in between two lemons, so I've thrown that back in with the most horrendous edit ever. Please forgive it, but enjoy the extra plot. However, the lemonS will be posted on (as soon as I finish them), under the same pen name (go to the author search and find Lady Mac). Please feel free to read and review there as well as here.

Aff(dot)net-ers: hooray! An update! I realize I haven't posted much here in a _long_ time, so enjoy the several chapters you get _all at once_.

Um … yeah, I guess that's about it. Probably no more updates for several weeks, if not longer. Local scholarship applications are due soon, and the AP exams are looming, which means a section a day in Calculus. I have nightmares about indefinite integrals (I'm not making this up!) …

PS: see if you can guess Houjou and Eri's secret! Any reviewers who get it right will receive special recognition in future chapters! (but only until I reveal it - after that you cheated!)

Disclaimer: My rights to Inuyasha and everything contained therein are like Paris Hilton's sense of decency…

Chapter Thirteen

Honeymoon

The picture was immaculate. Kagome and Inuyasha stood in their wedding robes at the foot of Goshinboku, and carefully, deliberately read the vows they had written to each other. Kaiya forced back tears through the entire ceremony, but when her daughter finally pulled away from the kiss with her new husband, pure bliss etched on her young face, the tears burst through and poured down her face even as she applauded. She rushed forwards and enveloped Kagome in a huge hug.

"Mama!" she said happily, squeezing her back.

"That was so beautiful, honey!" she said, wiping at her smearing makeup with a handkerchief.

"Thanks," she said, as Inuyasha took her arm and hung on tight. "We wrote them ourselves."

"Really?"

"Yeah." The hanyou handed her a sheet of paper, smiling broadly. "You want a copy? This is everything I promised to do to your daughter."

She laughed as she read it. There were several things listed that he hadn't said out loud, and it was amusing to see them written in such elegant script. "You wrote this yourself? I had no idea your handwriting was so beautiful, Inuyasha!"

"Thanks," he said, his cheeks pinking slightly.

"Well, Kagome," said Grandpa, coming up beside her. "How does it feel to be an old, married woman?"

"Jii-chan!" she laughed. "I'm not old yet!"

He smiled. "I am glad that you chose to have your ceremony here under Goshinboku. It was certainly a great force in bringing you together."

"It was, wasn't it?" she said, looking up at its branches which were again - for only the second time in five hundred years - covered in pale pink flowers.

"Kagome!"

She turned towards the voice. "Yuka! Ayumi!" She laughed and started towards them, pulling a bemused Inuyasha with her. "What are you doing here?"

"Your mom said we should stop by today, but she didn't say why," Yuka explained, though she was obviously distracted by the well-dressed couple.

"Did you just get married or something?" Ayumi asked. "Because that sure looks like a wedding kimono."

"Well ... actually, yes," Kagome said, blushing. She couldn't _believe_ her mother! Inviting her friends to this... Not that she wasn't glad they were there, but how was she going to explain this without seeming like a total slut? At least Houjou knew already - he could help them "get it." She grinned a little. "What, mom didn't invite Eri, too?"

"Actually, she did," Yuka said. "And she should be here soon."

"Where is she?"

"She's ... well, on a date. But enough about Eri!" Ayumi said. "Since when are you married? When are you gonna introduce us to your husband?"

"Oh!" Kagome laughed. "Okay, Yuka, Ayumi, this is Inuyasha. He's the mysterious, invisible boyfriend you're always going on about."

Inuyasha stepped to her side and bowed. "Hajimemash'te. Yuka, Ayumi."

"Hajimemashite," they replied, bowing as they giggled a little. "Kagome never told us how cute you are."

His ears twitched and Kagome clung to his arm. "Well, you wouldn't have believed me if I told you, would you?"

"Can I touch them?" Yuka asked, reaching for his ears.

"No!" he said, pressing them to his head and ducking behind Kagome. "I .. I mean, I'd rather you didn't."

Kagome rolled her eyes a little. "This is more what he's like nowadays. He's getting lots better at controlling his violent impulses."

"Oh, thanks," he said, letting go of her and crossing his arms.

"It's a compliment!" she insisted. "Come on! You know that; you're not completely dense, are you?"

"You didn't say it like a compliment," he pouted.

She clenched a fist, beginning to be truly annoyed. "Inuyasha, don't you make me say that word."

He winced visibly. "Fine."

Kagome turned back to her friends. "This is my new husband. We're married now."

"You bicker like an old married couple already," Yuka observed.

"Sure do," said Ayumi. "But you've been together for, like, three years, right? I'm sure that'll do it for anyone."

"How long have you been engaged, anyways? And why didn't you tell us?"

"Well ..." Kagome thought for a moment, glancing at Inuyasha. "Around three months. He got me a ring two weeks ago, but you haven't seen it because I leave it at home. I didn't want many people to know about this. The rumors will really be terrible."

They nodded knowingly, and Kaiya stepped out of the house. "Kagome, Inuyasha! Why don't you and your friends come in? I have some food ready!"

Inuyasha's nose twitched, and he took Kagome's arm, suddenly excited. "Come on! She made ramen!"

"Hold on, hold on!" she said, gripping his hand. "I can't go that fast!"

He picked her up suddenly, and jogged toward the house. She laughed out loud. "Come on, if you want any food! He'll eat it all!" They laughed and followed them to the doorstep, where Inuyasha set his bride gently down. They went to the kitchen, and sat around the table. Inuyasha was right about the ramen, and had his own Styrofoam cup of it while the girls ate pickled vegetables.

"So, Inuyasha," Yuka said between bites, "how did you know there was ramen?"

"Smelled it," he said through a mouthful of noodles.

"How?"

"Superhuman senses," he said, explaining nothing.

"It's a family trait," Kagome said, hoping that helped. "It comes with the ears and everything else."

"That's cool!" Ayumi enthused. "So your kids are gonna have that, too? They must be recessive traits, since I've never seen anyone who looks like him. He's probably only got one ancestor with those features."

Kagome smiled. Ayumi was into genetics to an almost frightening degree. "I hope they look like him." Sudden realization struck her. "Secret time!" she said, and both girls leaned in eagerly. "Okay," she continued. "You'll have to find this out eventually, so I'll tell you now." Kagome took a deep breath. "I'm pregnant."

Their mouths dropped open and their eyes widened. "A .. Already? But you just got married!" Ayumi protested.

Yuka elbowed her. "Hello? Means nothing! Besides..." she looked around, making sure that Mrs. Higurashi was gone. "She already told us she'd slept with him." She turned back to Kagome. "So, was this an accident, or did you plan it?"

"Totally accidental," she said. "I mean, we're happy and all, but it wasn't planned."

"Is that why you got married?" Ayumi asked.

"I was going to marry her way before that happened," Inuyasha said, feeling the need to butt in. "It was just what made it necessary to actually put things in motion so that the pup–"

"Baby," Kagome corrected.

"Right. So that the baby isn't born out of wedlock, and so forth." He nodded. "Sesshoumaru would never let it go if the bastard fathered a bastard."

"I thought he was the illegitimate one," Kagome said. "Didn't your father love _your_ mother, not his?"

"Hold on," Yuka interrupted. "What's this?"

"His half-brother has a grudge against him," Kagome explained.

"His mother was youkai. Mine wasn't. Therefore I'm illegitimate by youkai tradition, even if Oyaji didn't see it that way. And Sesshoumaru is the true heir to the line because he's full-blood." He turned to the girls. "But _I _got the coolest legacy sword, and he hates me for it." He smirked. "Baka. He doesn't understand Tenseiga's true power."

They stared at him, dumbfounded.

"Umm ... okay then," Kagome said. "By the way, Inuyasha is a hanyou. Youkai father, human mother. Hence the ears and super-senses. He's about twenty, not counting the fifty years he spent under a spell, and he's visiting from sometime around 1550. The well in the shrine works like a portal and we can go back and forth."

They nodded slowly. "That ... makes sense?" Yuka said.

"Seems reasonable enough to me," Ayumi agreed.

"I'll tell you all the details later," she promised, starting to eat again, but she nearly dropped her chopsticks a moment later. "Eri! Houjou! You came!"

The two blushed at the sudden attention, but entered the kitchen and stood at the end of the table. "Is that really true?" Eri asked. "What you just said?"

"It is," Houjou answered. "She told me before, at the dance."

She looked at him disbelievingly, but he gave her a "would I lie to you?" look and she seemed to accept it.

"What's going on here?" Inuyasha asked suddenly.

"What?" they said together, then blushed again.

"There's something up with you two." He eyed them closely and sniffed slightly, and then his eyes widened. "You've–"

Kagome clapped a hand over his mouth. "You're going out! Oh, that's so great!" She jumped up and embraced Eri. "That's so great! How long has it been?"

"Um ... just a couple of days," she said.

Kagome could barely contain her delight. "Ooh! That's so exciting!"

Inuyasha touched her arm. "Sit down, Kagome. You're getting overexcited; you shouldn't jump around like that."

"Sorry," she said, sitting down beside him again. "Please, pull up a couple of chairs. My mom made plenty of food!"

They sat and talked together until the sun began to dip into the western sky. Yuka and Ayumi managed to goad the newlyweds into a passionate kiss before they left, at which Eri and Houjou turned a mysterious, deep crimson. When they finally departed, Inuyasha escorted Kagome back into the house, where they sat down heavily on the couch.

"I'm totally wiped," she complained.

"Keh! No wonder. You've been all _go go go!_ all day. You've gotta take it easier; your body can't handle that anymore."

She sighed and leaned against him. "You be pregnant next time. I'm not so sure I like it."

At that moment Kaiya came in with a neatly-wrapped package and sat on a chair opposite them. "Well! Omedetou!" she said cheerfully.

"Arigatou, Mama," Kagome said tiredly.

She smiled. "You certainly do look worn-out."

"It's been a long day," Inuyasha answered for her. "And _someone_ refused to give it a rest."

Kaiya smiled. "I've been there." She looked at the couple, then down at the package in her lap. "Well … I got you another wedding gift, but I wanted to wait until everyone had left to give it to you."

"Really?" Kagome was suddenly more cheerful. "That's so sweet, Mama!"

She reached across and handed it to Inuyasha, who tore the paper off carefully with his claws. Inside was an elegant leather-bound book, with the title embossed in gold.

Kagome suddenly turned bright red. "Mama!"

Inuyasha squinted at it. "_Spice_? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Look inside," Kaiya prodded.

Kagome opened the cover to reveal an inscription, "To the happy couple on their wedding day, Love, Mama Higurashi," and an envelope. She opened it carefully. "Oh! Mama, you didn't!"

"I did!" she said, beaming at Kagome's happy expression.

"What is it?" Inuyasha asked, looking up from paging through the book, the purpose of which was still hidden from him.

"A room at a luxury hotel downtown! For two nights!"

"I figured you'd want some time alone to try out your new book," Kaiya explained. "And you two deserve a honeymoon as much as anyone else."

At that moment, Inuyasha squeaked and snapped the book shut, his cheeks tinged red. He had apparently discovered what it was about. "What the hell kind of world is this?" he demanded. "Publishing stuff like this!"

Kagome saw right through his feigned indignance. He couldn't wait to get her alone …

The room dimmed suddenly, and Kaiya looked outside. "You can leave pretty soon, then," she said. "As soon as the sun goes down, you'll be fine."

"Why when the sun goes down?" asked Kagome.

"Saku no hi," Inuyasha said, suddenly.

Kaiya nodded. "You'll be human, so they won't give you any trouble at the hotel."

Inuyasha closed his eyes then, and the two women watched in amazement as the transformation came over him. When he opened his eyes, the amber had turned to deep violet. "Well, then," he said, turning to his bride. "What are we waiting for?"

&#&-

(in the hot tub at the hotel)

…The bulge that pressed against his belly moved slightly.

He came violently inside her, gasping at the suddenness. For a long moment they didn't move as the steam rose off the water around them.

Kagome finally spoke. "Did … did you feel that?"

"Yeah," he finally managed, slowly disengaging himself and relaxing on the seat. "It was the pup, wasn't it?"

She smiled. "Baby. And yes."

He placed his hand over her womb and closed his eyes. "That's the first time this has happened?"

"Yes." She set her head on his shoulder and sighed. "I love you."

He held her tightly, and let the penetrating warmth and peace lull him to sleep.

When he woke, the only light came from the dim lamp by the door to their suite. Kagome sat under it in a deck chair, wearing an alluring piece of red silk and reading their book.

He crossed his arms on the edge of the tub. "Studying?"

She looked up and smiled. "You're awake."

He rolled his eyes. "No, I'm still asleep. Find anything interesting?"

She cast her gaze skyward, imitating his sarcasm. "In a book about sex? I think not!"

"Cheeky wench."

"Foul-mouthed puppy."

"Kami-sama," he sighed. "The things our kids will have to put up with."

Her laugh was genuine, and seemed to Inuyasha like falling starlight. She had kept her hair in the bun she had put it in to prevent it from getting wet in the hot tub, and her long neck and alluring shoulders were bare in the cool night air.

"You're cold," he said. "We should go inside."

"Did you hear that?" she said, laughing as she smoothed the fabric over her small bulge. "Papa's being overprotective!"

He wrinkled his nose "_Papa_? You honestly think she'll call me that?"

"Why not?" she said. "And _she_? What makes you so sure it's a girl?"

He shrugged. "I dunno. I've just sort of assumed she was. Not that I'd be disappointed with a son, but … I don't know. Just a thing, I guess."

Kagome chuckled. "I kind of thought it would be a boy. No girl would cause her mother so much trouble."

Inuyasha frowned. "You mean the morning sickness thing." He looked at her carefully. "Do you feel okay?"

"It was nothing," she said, waving the topic away.

"You're still sick," he said, looking definitely worried. "Oh, kami, I'm so sorry, Kagome …"

"I said it was nothing, and I mean it," she insisted.

She smiled, then shivered a little as a gust of wind came rustling through the bamboo forest that was planted around the perimeter of the balcony. "It is a little chilly."

He stepped out of the water, and she handed him a towel. "Still the queen of modesty, I see," he said.

"Blah, blah, blah," she responded, turning the dial on the side of the tub to turn off the heater and jets.

He followed her through the sliding glass doors, and grimaced at the open bags on the bed. "Why'd we leave those there?"

"Ready again so soon?" she asked, picking one up and moving it to the floor beside the bureau.

"I told you, I'm hanyou, wench!"

She rolled her eyes. "Then here." She handed him the book, her finger marking a page. "Study up a little first while your hair dries. I don't want to sleep on soggy sheets."

"Where are you going?"

She stepped into the bathroom and shut the door. "Duh!"

When she emerged a few minutes later, Inuyasha leapt from the chair and grabbed her, forcing her into the soft mattress with a barrage of kisses.

"Wait, wait!" she laughed, pushing at his chest. "Your hair is still wet!"

He pouted and sat back on his ankles as she pulled the band from her hair and used it to tie his back. "I thought you liked my hair."

"I _do_ like your hair. When it's dry."

He brushed off the comment and came down on her again, nibbling her lower lip with his blunt human teeth …


	14. Naraku

Hitori ni Sasenai

By Lady Mac (battle scene in this chapter mostly by Crystal56)

warning: I think I'm in some alternate state of consciousness brought on by DDR, really cold water, some chocolate, and a _freaking_ good Indian buffet downtown – I beat the wait staff!

A/N: Okay, don't kno if youze alls reads _The Onion_, but if it's in your area you should pick it up and read one o tha columnzes. In one I got recently the H-dog was all goin' on 'bout some wack-ass seminizar and this office geranium he raised from the dead by hollerin at it and feedin it root beer and Skittles. It's really hilarious, cuz the guy has this real clean-cut, boring name and picture and he works in Accounts Receiving, but the whole column is written in this amazing ghetto-speak, except for the quotes from other people (such as those to whom he related his geranium story while they were all skipping the productivity seminar). It was cool 'cuz at the end he wanted them to figure out what the point of the story was, and they guessed things like "believe in yourself" usw. (erg… I might be using that expression a lot, so "usw." stands for "und so weiter," which is German for "and so forth.") But the real message was that the H-dog is the shiznit, y'all.

we now return you to your regularly scheduled author's note

Ha-HA! I got the GW complete song collection! I'm totally addicted to "Mind Education!" It's the shiznit, y'all. OOH! I also got "Grip!" and I shiver with happiness every time I hear the opening! (swoons) I love INUYASHA! But y'all knew that. But it totally rocks! Wai, wai! And so does "Hey Ya!" …I like it again.

On a not-so-happy note, Animerica will no longer be available by subscription! Sad… but they're replacing the remainder of my subscription with their new mag, _Shoujo Beat_, which sounds kinda coolio.

OMG! Guess what! As I write this (which is actually before I've finished the chapter because I'm outsourcing the central events XD), I HAVE NO HOMEWORK! I know! And it's not even May yet! AP's are coming up, but I'm not scared and I HAVE NO HOMEWORK! I mean, sure it comes at the price of being totally insane since the last time I updated (an English paper, an independent research project that will determine whether or not I graduate with honors (min. 20 pages), and AP calc practice exams that I got a C on the MULTIPLE CHOICE that be 11 out of 27 – this from the girl who is 7th in her class of 256 and going to a university next year that costs more than twice as much as the premiere state university (UW-madtown) where most of my (really smart) friends are going, though the free response was hella easier than I was expecting graph the function? Are we in Algebra, or what? – though I concede the function was like g(x) equals the definite integral of f(x) and something about a semicircle), but I hope you enjoy this chapter nonetheless. It has been a LONG TIME COMING. Huge mucho thank-u's to CRYSTAL56 – BFF, gurlio! Luvs ya! Xsmooch!X

Also: sorry this update took so ding-dong long! I had no idea how to go about writing the action scene, so I kinda outsourced to the chicka mentioned above. And she's got a lot of other stories, and I'm an overachiever which means I know that the indefinite integral from zero to two of ythe square root of four minus x-squared is pi, and that the derivative of e to the x is e to the x.

I feel like whining about calculus. If you don't care, skip on down to the disclaimer. OMG! And I thought chemistry was hard. Fangs and some other AP Chem-ers came up with this: AP Chem >>x, where x is everything else, including nailing jell-o to a banana. (FYI: >> denotes "is much greater than".) The new inequality is thus: AP Calc >> AP Chem >>x, where x is everything else, including nailing jell-o to a banana and making actors shut up backstage (which is nigh impossible). Didja see me bustin out the SAT words there? Tru dat.

Disclaimer: I haven't any character named herein, except in fan arts which are themselves illegal … shouldn't have mentioned that. But I DO have a really hot Polish boyfriend ( I think so, anyhow) who wears slim-cut black jeans a lot, and STILL hasn't washed the pink shirt he got in NYC. But he's the god of the theater and he got me backstage at THE MAJESTIC (!), so I'll let the shirt thing go. Oh yeah … Inuyasha's not mine, y'all. Someday … when my boyfriend rules the world, he shall give him to ME and I shall be his sole possessor! BWA-HA-HA! But until then … yeah. Takahashi-san and all that good stuff…

MORE AMAZING HUGE PROPS TO CRYSTAL56!

Author's Note: OMFG, this took a hella long time, and that author's note you just read is over two months old. BUT IT'S DONE! And the peasants rejoiced.

I'm really beat. No more author's note. Enjoy the chapter! 2000 words in this one! Five pages in MS Works…

Disclaimer: No own, no sue. Gotcha.

Chapter 14

Naraku

"Kagome!" called the voice from the top of the well, just as her foot touched down in the Sengoku Jidai. She looked up just in time to see Shippou launch himself at her, but Inuyasha pushed her out of the way and intercepted the kitsune with a firm bonk on the skull.

"Nani shiten da yo?" he demanded angrily. "Haven't I told you _not_ to do that?"

"Calm _down_, Inuyasha!" Kagome said, picking up Shippou. "Honestly! I'm not made of glass, and you're gonna have a heart attack if your blood pressure doesn't go down."

"Feh," he snorted. "I won't have you being reckless like that, _especially_ with a pup on the way."

"Catching Shippou is _not_ reckless, baka!"

He scooped her up in his arms and hopped out of the well. She squirmed impatiently, so he set her down with a sigh. "Why won't you let me take care of you?"

"You're not _taking care_, you're stifling me!" she said, letting Shippou down and straightening her blue uniform. "Give me some credit! I know better than you what's best for me." He pouted a little, and she sighed and touched his cheek gently. "Come on. You know I'd never let the baby get hurt."

He looked away sheepishly. "I know."

She kissed him gently. "Come on. Let's go home."

Inuyasha smiled. "Silly girl," he said, taking her hand as they walked. "My home has always been right here."

"In the forest?" she joked.

"You know what I mean, wench."

She laughed, and he smiled. She knew _exactly_ what he meant.

The walk to the village was warm and pleasant, and as they drew close, they saw Miroku running towards them. "Inuyasha! Kagome-sama! Thank Kami you're back!"

"What is it?" Kagome could sense the monk's worry.

"Rin and Jaken just showed up again," he panted. "Sesshoumaru's not with them."

"What?" Inuyasha exclaimed, then took off at a sprint for the village. He found the imp and the girl with Sango, Kaede, Kirara and Shippou in the village square.

"A man approached us in the night," Jaken was saying. "At least, we thought he was human. He asked where to find Inuyasha, and Sesshoumaru-sama told him that he had left, he did not know where to."

"Who was it?" Inuyasha demanded.

"Naraku," the imp hissed, and Rin ran to Kagome as she and Miroku appeared. "He attacked us. Rin and I escaped, but we do not know what became of Sesshoumaru-sama."

"Stupid bastard," Inuyasha growled, and his knuckles popped as he flexed his fist. "How did he not know it was Naraku? Is he that fucking stupid?"

"The scent was disguised," Jaken said, "and his appearance was greatly altered. I think it may have something to do with the Shikon no Tama."

Inuyasha growled again, and Kagome touched his shoulder. "If Naraku was looking for you, that means he's probably going to show up here as soon as he figures it out."

Inuyasha nodded. "And if he says he's looking for me, it means he's looking for you and the jewel."

A sudden loud crash in the direction of Goshinboku drew their attention, and Inuyasha's nose twitched angrily. "Son of a bitch!"

"Speak of the _youkai_," Miroku said bitterly.

"Get to safety, Kagome!" Inuyasha said.

"I won't leave you!" she insisted. "It's probably me he's after, anyhow."

"Damn," he swore, knowing she was right. The jewel she carried was probably the target. "Fine. Rin, Jaken, and Shippou, stay here with Kaede. We'll take care of this guy." He scooped Kagome up and took off at a fast sprint towards the disturbance, with Miroku and Sango close behind on Kirara.

The horrible, gelatinous beast suddenly came into view. "That is one ugly…" Miroku began, then stopped as one of Naraku's enormous tentacles shot past them, reducing several houses on the outskirts of the village to splinters.

"Son of a bitch!" Inuyasha yelled, finishing Miroku's sentence for him.

"The village!" Kagome cried.

Sango hefted her enormous weapon off her back. "Hiraikotsu!" she cried, heaving it at the tentacle. It sliced easily through, and the huge appendage fell heavily to the ground.

"I think he's more interested in us than the village," Kagome said as Naraku came forward towards the group. "And he's a little fast!"

"Run!" Miroku yelled and Inuyasha made a quick turn, sprinting ahead of the group with Kagome.

"Sort of a bad time to be pregnant, I guess," Kagome said dryly.

"This is no time to joke!" Inuyasha growled, glaring down at her.

"I know, but … how are we going to defeat that thing? It's ugly!"

"Yeah, he's sure gotten uglier," Inuyasha said. "But you know what they say, the uglier they are, the more fun it is to defeat them!"

"This isn't going to be easy, Inuyasha," Miroku warned, catching up as they slowed.

Inuyasha snorted. "Into the forest! We have to keep him away from the village!"

The trees whizzed past as Inuyasha ran, trying to create as much distance between them and the village as he could. They finally reached the clearing where the bone-eater's well was, and Inuyasha set Kagome down quickly before turning to face the direction that Naraku was approaching from. "Kagome, I need you to listen very carefully," he said, quivering with anticipation as he gripped the hilt of his sword. "If things get ugly – if your life or safety is in any form of danger – I want you to go through that well and stay there until I come for you."

"What! Inuyasha, no! I couldn't– "

He turned to face her, and his visage was full of pain. "Kagome, I mean it! I _can't_ lose you! If I … don't make it, at least you'll still have our pup; a piece of me will live on. But if he gets _you_ … I'll have nothing. You understand? _I need you to promise me!_"

Tears clouded her eyes, but she nodded. "I will. I promise."

Kirara landed heavily beside them on the grass. "He's here," Miroku said.

Naraku was a sight to behold. His previously attractive form had completely disappeared, leaving only a horrifying monster. Kagome was overcome by the _jyaki_ emanating from his body, and he had spawned so many tentacles that for a moment she considered just going back to her own time. Surely they would never defeat such a strong foe!

Inuyasha drew Tetsusaiga and stepped protectively in front of her. "Naraku …"

"Baka hanyou," the beast laughed in its deep, sinister voice. "You think that little fang will be enough to defeat _me_?"

"_You_ baka hanyou!" Inuyasha growled, rage flashing in his amber eyes. "I am so fucking fed up with you!"

"The jewel did this to him," Kagome breathed. "He has it within him somewhere."

The beast's eyes narrowed. "The miko's power is intact? How can this be?" He shot a tentacle at the couple, but Sango's Hiraikotsu cut it off just before it reached them. Instead it flew past, crashing into the well.

"Fuck!" Inuyasha cried.

"Indeed," the beast growled. "How is it that tainted miko such as this one still retains her powers?" Another tentacle shot out, whipping towards Kagome.

An arrow, glowing with miko energy, shot suddenly out of the woods. It struck Naraku's tentacle, slicing it in half and shattering it moments before it reached her.

"What?" she cried, looking quickly around the clearing for the source of her unexpected salvation.

"KIKYOU!" Naraku boomed, malice in his evil voice. Kagome spun around, and saw Kikyou rushing toward them, with Sesshoumaru close behind.

"Kikyou! Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha exclaimed.

"Are you all right, otouto?" Sesshoumaru asked, glancing at Naraku.

"Are you?" Inuyasha retorted.

"Hmph," he replied. "You need not worry over this Sesshoumaru."

Kikyou nocked another arrow into her bow. "It's time to end this, Naraku!"

A huge tentacle whipped suddenly through the clearing, throwing Inuyasha backwards with such force that the tattered well couldn't stop his flight.

Kagome felt as if she could have died. "Inuyasha!"

He let out a cry of pain as his motion was stopped by a tree. He groaned and pried himself up, Tetsusaiga still locked in his fist. Sesshoumaru was at his side in a moment.

"Are you all right?" he asked, helping his brother up.

"Are you?" Inuyasha countered, shaking the dirt and stones from his face. "Sounds to me like you got yourself beat up pretty nicely. At least that's what Rin said."

"I have recovered sufficiently. That Kikyou found me in the woods and tended to my wounds, " Sesshoumaru explained, nodding in the direction of the fight. Kagome sat on the ground, shaking, but between her and her foe was another figure in red and white, aiming an arrow confidently at their adversary.

"Why would Kikyou protect her?" Inuyasha asked. "They've always been rivals. Even more so now, I would have thought…"

"The miko knows the value of an unborn pup," Sesshoumaru said seriously, striding back towards the fight, Taikokajin drawn and ready. "This, and the girl's status as your mate is a sure sign of where your affections truly lie."

Inuyasha said nothing to his brother, but jumped suddenly at Naraku. "Kaze no– !"

"Omae wo korosu!" the beast yelled, swatting the descending hanyou away before he could finish the attack.

Inuyasha landed hard on the dirt and lay still. "Inuyasha!" Kagome screamed. "No! INUYASHA!"

A deep scream cut through the clearing, and four heads turned in time to see Naraku take a direct hit from one of Kikyou's arrows. He roared in pain and moved to attack again.

Inuyasha blinked confusedly, rolling over. "What? Why didn't it work?"

"The jewel!" Kagome called to him. "We'll have to coordinate our attack, otherwise we won't hurt him."

"Well, what the hell are we gonna do?" Inuyasha demanded.

"Kagome," Kikyou hissed. "Take my bow and quiver."

"What?" she whispered. "But how … he'll attack you!"

"He won't," she said solemnly. "Onigumo's heart still beats within him – he cannot hurt me."

A tentacle smashed to the ground. Inuyasha dodged just in time, and the force of the impact sent him flying. He managed to regain his equilibrium in the air, and landed roughly near the two miko. "That's _it_, you bastard!" he cried. "BAKURYUUHAA!"

The attack exploded out of Tetsusaiga, and Kagome released a glowing arrow just in time to be carried along with it. The wave sent Naraku reeling, and the arrow hit in an explosion of light so bright that they all had to look away.

The heat faded, and Kagome slowly looked around. There was absolutely no sign of Naraku, save for the bright pink glow where he had been. "Inuyasha, look."

He looked. "Wow."

Slowly, carefully, she walked to the jewel and picked it up. The moment her fingers touched it, she felt the entire clearing become cleaner, as the great evil was finally purged from it.

Inuyasha gently touched her shoulder. "Should we see if this is all?"

She nodded and pulled it out from under her shirt as everyone else crowded around. Miroku and Sango were holding each other tightly, and Sango looked as if she was about to cry. Kagome looked at her. "If this is the whole jewel, then that means that Kohaku …" She trailed off, afraid to say it.

Sango just nodded solemnly, and Inuyasha looked at Miroku. "How's your hand, monk?"

Miroku flexed his fingers nervously. "I'm afraid to find out."

Kagome looked up at her hanyou, and he nodded solemnly. Slowly she brought the two pieces together. It glowed brightly, and when it subsided, a perfect pink sphere was between her fingers.

Inuyasha let out a harsh breath, and Sango stifled a sob as Miroku held her to his chest. Sesshoumaru and Kikyou made no sound, but both turned away and walked silently in separate directions.

"M – matte!" Inuyasha called, unsure of which one to follow. Kagome gripped his arm tightly.

Sesshoumaru stopped. "We have done what we set out to do," he said. "I will return to my home with Rin and Jaken. And as for Kikyou … well, she will do as she sees fit." By this time the miko in question had already disappeared, and Sesshoumaru leapt in the direction of the village, quickly going out of sight.

"Inuyasha."

He turned, and saw Kagome looking at him. "Kagome?"

She took his hand. "Let's go home."

-----#&#-----

Wow. That was long. R&R please!

P.S. If you've seen _Howl's Moving Castle_, check out my new fic _Starlight_ that has been occupying my mind for the past two or three weeks! It was the first in the category. Chapter four is in the works.


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